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Helen Bass March 26, 2010
Ms. Reedstrom ELA PERIOD 5

Hitler’s Final Solution consisted of creating and keeping a pure “German-Aryan” race, and to do this he had to exterminate all the “Undesirables”. The holocaust was a mass-murder of eleven billion people. These killing were led by Adolf Hitler, the fürher of Germany. In order for a whole country to be ruled by his ways, and accept it he had to be very influential. He used propaganda; the lies created to achieve his goal. With this he won over the people of Germany, along with the hope and “promises” he gave them with his speaking skills. Soon after he was after he was appointed chancellor. He set up programs such as Hitler Youth to insure the faith and nationalistic beliefs in the future Nazis; the youth of Germany.

Without the use of propaganda Hitler couldn’t have brain washed Germany into believing Hitler. Germany was in a depression after the First World War, and needed a scapegoat. Hitler blamed the Jews for the economic crash and losing the war. Hitler established a Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment, leaded by Joseph Goebbels. Their goal was to make sure that the Nazi message and beliefs was shown throughout all art, music, theater, films, books, radio, educational materials, and the press. Movies such as The Eternal Jew, filmed in 1940 and directed by Fritz Hippler, distorted and portrayed Jews as “subhuman”, and “wandering cultural parasites”, with dirty intentions of money and sex. During Hitler’s Final Solution, the SS officials at killing camps used deception and propaganda. Officials in killing centers made inmates send home postcards saying that they were being treated well and living well. Hitler allowed the camp, Theresienstadt camp-ghetto to undergo an inspection from the International Red Cross. This would ease the publics wondering of where their Jewish neighbors were being taken too, and quiet rumors of the truth. In preparation for the vist of the Red Cross, the camp had to clean the ghetto. The SS officials made a film of the ghetto residents as a demonstration of the kind and warm treatment to the Jewish residents of Theresienstadt enjoyed. Once the film was completed, most of the “cast” was sent to Auschwitz extermination camps (ushmm.org). The use of propaganda was used to effectively achieve Hitler’s goals, the German population supported its war of conquest under false teachings and beliefs. It was used to quiet the questioning bystanders, from knowing the mass murder of millions of people. Even though Nazi propaganda helped Hitler in rising to such power, in the end he did not win.

Hitler had to find a way to insure that the children and teenagers of Germany would grow up into good nazis, he established Hitler Youth in order to create this. Hitler youth was an organization that all young German boys had to attend. The League of German Girls was for girls. The German youth was targeted as a special audience for its propaganda messages. Millions of young Germans were won over to Nazism in the classroom and through extracurricular actives. The education consisted of teachers praising the Aryan races, and the disapproval of “undesirable” races, such as the Jews. In Hitler Youth they taught to be obedient, aware of different races and the classes they were put in, and to sacrifice your self for the fürher, and the fatherland. The youth organizations were used to form the beliefs, thinking, and actions of Nazism. There were after-school meetings and weekend camping trips that trained Hitler youth and the League of German Girls to become faithful to the Nazi party. In September 1939, 765,000 and more Germans were enrolled in organizations that prepared them for the military, and government beliefs they were trained for. They were taught to public displays of the Nazi values because it would force them to abandon their individuality, and devote themselves to the goals of Hitler’s master race. When boys reached the age of 18, they were required to enlist into the military, or the Reich Labor Service, which Hitler youth prepared them for. Even when the German military suffered great defeat, they would go on even more loyal.

Even though it was against the treaty of Versailles, Hitler needed to create an army for his final solution; creating and expanding the “German-Aryan” race. To do this, they had to get rid of all the “undesirables”, Hitler came up with The Final Solution. Once Hitler was in power, over the course of two years he “coordinated” by which political parties, were useful for the nazi goals. After then Germany was under total Nazi control. At first he was killing of the disabled, and terminally ill. After then he used the “Final Solution”, which was an excuse for trying to annihilate the whole Jewish race, that consisted of gassing, shooting, and other means of killing them off. Hitler youth made up an army, with this that invaded Poland and took over its lands.

The period of time when Hitler ruled Germany, was one of the darkest horrific and freighting times. Millions of people were killed because of one mans passionate beliefs of hatred. His ideals influenced and changed the course of history in many ways. The usage of propaganda can be a dangerous thing, it has the power to influence many people. He was able to create, Hitler Youth, and with that an army of Nazis. This shows how anything you believe in so strongly, can be done for good or for worse. This shows putting ones beliefs for a good cause will have good effects.