Descrizione

8vo. very good cloth in worn dj, 491pp., b/w pls., bibliog., index, Superb in-depth study inc. many reproductions of posters, leaflets, film-stills etc. This is a comprehensive account of the activities of the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, Dr. Joseph Goebbels. All of the efforts of the Nazi government to manipulate public opinion are put on full display here and it matches anything written by George Orwell in the novel "1984." As such, this is a valuable history of a neglected aspect of the World War Two experience. Goebbels was such a committed fanatic that he had his staff continue to grind out copies of "Der Deutsches Woche Schau" newsreels up to and including the the conclusion of the Battle of Berlin. The last ditch members of the Nazi Party were being told that all was well while Zhukov's Russian troops were advancing upon Hitler's bomb shelter and the occupants were preparing to commit suicide. While the book addresses all forms of propaganda, beginning with newspapers, special mention must be given to the use of motion pictures as a means of indoctrinating the masses. Some of the films summarized were intended to promote anti-Semitism and Aryan Supremacy, others were more subtle. It is disturbing to think that the truth can be subverted so effectively and it will make you question how the mass media could be used for the same ends today by unscrupulous individuals.