Nazi Propaganda Poster
This poster was made during the 1930’s during Hitler’s reign of power. (Brooks, Robert)It shows Hitler as being a man of the people by him being surrounded by Germans all saluting him. It also makes a very direct connection between Hitler and Christianity. (Brooks, Robert) In the painting there is an eagle soaring above Hitler’s head, almost as if it is protecting Hitler. This same scenario comes up when a “dove” came down when Christ was being baptized by John the Baptist. (Brooks, Robert) This shows that Hitler was trying to be shown almost like a saint or something mystical and all-powerful, which is what many popular dictators have done to gain power.
Nazi propaganda had a huge impact in the way Germans viewed the war and what Hitler was allowed to do. (Nazi Propaganda Poster, Wikipedia) Hitler put a lot of importance on propaganda because it was the way to get Germans to do things and he explains this in Mein Kampf, “The art of propaganda consists precisely in being able to awaken the imagination of the public through an appeal to their feelings, in finding the appropriate psychological form that will arrest the attention and appeal to the hearts of the national masses.” (Nazi Propaganda Poster, Wikipedia) This method that Hitler used worked and is one reason why Hitler came to power. Posters like this one were especially important because they could reach the viewer easily and in a decisive statement such as this one which says “Long Live Germany.” (Brooks, Robert)
This poster depicts a strong, all-powerful Hitler. It shows Hitler as being a man of the people with his fist clenched and him being surrounded by the flag and all of the Nazis. Though this is propaganda, it still shows popular dictators come to power through art. This style of art allowed Hitler to change the mindset of Germans toward his thinking. This poster is important because it explains some of the methods that popular dictators use to gain popularity and power.