Analysis of Nazi Propaganda
A Behavioral Study
Karthik Narayanaswami
HIST E 1572: Holocaust in History, Literature, and Film
Harvard University
knarayanaswami@fas.harvard.edu
As we examine the chronology of events leading up to the
Holocaust, it becomes vital to understand the role of
propaganda in perpetuating a crime of this proportion. To this
end, this paper will analyze the fundamental tenets of Nazi
propaganda, and the role that they played in not just the
genocide of Jews, Romani peoples, homosexuals, and other
undesirables, but also in helping turn Germany into an
aggressor nation.
We will look at the calculated methodology adopted by the
Nazi party under the guidance of both Adolf Hitler and Joseph
Göbbels, and analyze the underlying techniques that were used.
However, while the breadth and scope of Nazi propaganda
were quite exhaustive, and included posters, movies, radio, and
the press, this paper will focus on the primary method of
rallying the German people – the creative use of posters to
serve malignant ends. These posters will be analyzed through a
behavioral lens to understand and identify key cognitive and
psychological drivers that went into creating them, and the role
that they played in instigating social and other cognitive biases
in the German population. This analysis will primarily be
visual in nature, and will look for behavioral cues that trigger
bias responses.
Finally, this paper will provide an overview of the critical
set of behavioral manipulations and provide a framework to
help identify attempts at such propaganda wherever they may
appear. Furthermore, this paper will also provide a list of
elements for the "ideal" Nazi poster, with key elements
borrowed from the various other posters.
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