I have often wondered how the home of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart became the country of Adolf Hitler, the SS, SA, Brown Shirts and the Holocaust. I no longer wonder.

Third Reich Minister of Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels’ diary details the elements of propaganda that led German people to succumb to the spell of Hitler.

Propaganda: Basic Principles

• Constantly repeat just a few ideas. Use stereotyped phrases.
• Continuously criticize your opponents.
• Avoid abstract ideas – appeal to the emotions.
• Give only one side of the argument.
• Pick out one special “enemy” for special vilification.

Extracted from Goebbels’ diary

A documentary on why Germans followed Hitler

The Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda was the central institution of Nazi propaganda. It controlled all German mass media, including the press, literature, film, theater, music, and radio. Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it; those who know it have a duty to learn and act accordingly.

Gordon C. Stewart, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017, Wipf & Stock), 49 brief, stand-alone meditations on faith and public life. Writing from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, Nov. 5, 2024.