Nazi Germany propaganda the radio 1923 through 1945 The Nazi Party used radios to spread its message to new followers Especially pushing the argument that Germany had been wronged by the Treaty of Versailles alongside posters school programs and other more obvious forms of indoctrination the radio allowed for subliminal and less direct messaging Similarly compulsory films in school for children accompanied mandatory listening to Hitler's speeches over the radio In 1923 the creation of German public broadcasting soon led to the establishment Of regional broadcasting companies by the end of 1924 nine companies existed radio broadcasting was state regulated by the Reich radio company with 51% owned by the Ministry of posts when the other 49% by the nine companies who controlled program content The increase in frequency strength combined with the information and entertainment available on radio led to widespread radio consumption of the medium in Germany during the mid to late 1920s Ëthey was required to listen starting in January 1924 a content was non-political until 1929 radio exhibitions began in 1924 and were later used by the Nazis to encourage and manipulate radio ownership and usage the Nazi Party did not begin using the radio until after the presidential elections that took place in 1932 during this time There was still an anti-nazi element to radio messaging that resulted in a positive outcome for paul von hindenburg The opponents of the Nazi Party used radio to try to denounce the latter's referendum against the Treaty of Versailles in 1929 German state radio was fully nationalized in 1932 under von Papen as Chancellor During the election of February in March of 1933 Joseph Goebbels the propaganda minister of the Nazi Party blocked parties other than the Nazi Party from transmitting political broadcasts Hitler's speeches were broadcast often in outdoor forums during that election radio broadcasts of marches rallies and public Demonstrations were meant to give the impression of mass popularity in a peer pressure type tactic to get votes in the 1933 election This was much more effective than when Hitler delivered a speech in an empty room, which didn't come across as well on radio After a victory in this election and the further tactics that followed the Nazis were able to seize power in June 1933 broadcasting became part of the Ministry of propaganda Goebbels oversaw the replacement of hostile radio managers and reporters with Nazi supporters and by April 1934 all regional companies became unified under the Nazi ideology its slogan became a radio in every German house Gurbles ordered the mass production of cheap radios known as Volk symphony or the people's receiver in 1933 Opening up new audiences to the message of the party he had long recognized the potential of radio to indoctrinate and create a unified opinion as Garbles put it the radio was the spiritual weapon of the totalitarian state that destroyed the spirit of rebellion The content of Nazi radio programming included music and plays and Hitler's speeches which featured anti-semitic content which intensified through the decade 1935 it is estimated that when Hitler broadcasted his speeches on radio He reached an audience of over 56 million out of a population of 70 million Censorship on the radio led to a ban on jazz music in 1935 and laws against interception of non-german stations penalties included death Even the mass-produced radios themselves were designed with a limited range in order to prevent foreign broadcasts The law against jazz music was interesting because they forbade it in Germany, but used it as a propaganda abroad Gurbles and a Nazi sponsored swing band called Charlie and his orchestra named for frontman Karl Charlie Schweddy ler took aim at Britain than the United States later on in 1940 the band broadcast its music full of messages about arianism Jewish conspiracies and weak British leaders across the pond a Cheaper version of the Volk some fanger the DKE 38 was released from 1938 Nicknamed the gerber schnauzer or gurbles snout and sold for just 35 Reichsmarks Even if a radio wasn't in reach public loudspeakers spread the nazi propaganda message and factories public squares schools offices and restaurants radio wardens were present to ensure people were listening to the major speeches being broadcast by 1939 70% of households had a mass-produced radio in June 1940 the Nazis established a program for broadcasters to issue special reports about the war During the war the Nazis expanded their propaganda tactics on the radio axis Sally real name Mildred gillers was an American in Berlin who worked for the German state radio in 1942 she was cast on the home-sweet-home our show to weaken the morale of US troops Radio broadcasts that focused too much on politics became boring to the average listener so the Nazis switched to mainly music and other entertainment in 1944 radios were used to give the soldiers at the front a sense of relaxation and to convey cultural values on May 1st 1945 the German radio broadcast announced Hitler's death fighting up to his last breath against Bolshevism in the aftermath of Hitler death and as the Allied forces moved through Nazi occupied territory party radio stations were Systematically shut down The last broadcast in the name of the Nazi state was sent from a radio station in Flensburg near Denmark on may 8th 1945 Subscribe for more history and don't forget to click the bell button to get a notification of when there is a new episode