State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda
C**R
A concise and balanced telling of the history of propaganda in Germany leading up to the Second World War
There is this underlying notion that what happened in Germany with regards to the Nazi party was unique and could never happen anywhere else. This notion is especially interesting because at the same time there are groups like the 9/11 truth movement that believe it is happening right now in the USA, but one might argue that it's not quite the same because Germany didn't have dissidents against the Nazi party. Or were stupid, or ignorant or ... "well, why didn't they stop them!"...This book is excellent, for one it features a lot of Nazi propaganda posters, though not as many as it could have which strikes me as odd because surely a work of this nature would include everything ... then again ... people might not attend the museum. Still, more would have been nice. On the flip side, it doesn't just focus on posters but includes to some extent discussions about movies and news paper / magazines, and the smaller less graphic / iconic items.The other reason I'm not going for a higher rating is that for the most part the narrative doesn't go deep enough. It discusses a couple of topics / instances in greater depth but then still doesn't cover the area completely. Things like 'why was that poster structured that way' or 'how did this one aimed at the workers differ from the ones aimed at the higher classes' are not addressed. Rather the title points out that different tones and sentiments were used, but now how or why (aside from the obvious).In fairness though the book is not about that, and it is easy to always expect more. Still the impact of the message would have been less superficial. That is not to say this is a bad title, far from it, it just isn't more than a short and introductory treatment. To illustrate: the main body of work is 166 pages, and just about every page features a picture, so there isn't a lot of text, what what is there is great.The history is very well written and balanced though again it could have gone deeper as to how and why things changed for the people and how this is reflected in the propaganda. In truth I don't know that these are legitimate concerns but they are questions raised in my mind. Overall though the material is excellent in scope and as far as a book of this nature, which aims to focus on the propaganda material, rather than the in depths assessment of technique or historic context it is excellent. One lovely feature is that the authors don't take the stance that it could not have happened anywhere else, or that it could never happen again, and really that is what we should take away from this episode of history, and use to assess what we read, hear and see in the media today.
M**Z
Great photos and Text
With all the current propaganda occurring I decided to research the subject w this book. This book is very good and covers, the news media, radio and movie propaganda. When you want to take over a country the first thing you need to control is the news media, then academia, movies and so on. Reading this book is very timely for freedom loving people in the USA.
T**.
We are reliving an ugly bit of history
I came across this book at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. I gifted that one out and restocked from Amazon. This book chronicles how the Nazis subverted the media and used propaganda to gain support and ultimately, total control. Read this with current media treatment of those who hold conservative views in mind. You will, or should be horrified. Well written and documented.
J**N
Incredible companion to the exhibit at the Holocaust Museum
This book is the accompaniment to one of the temporary exhibits at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. The book shows the progression of Nazi propaganda as the party attempts to legitimize itself into German society. It shows how the Nazis used all different types of media to get their message across to people and gain power. Then the book shows how once they gained power, they targeted the Jews and other minorities as scapegoats. The book is filled with large full-color posters and pictures, as well as illustrations of charts and graphs used by the Nazis to further their agenda. In one memorable picture, it shows a Parcheesi-type board game the Nazis designed to promote their twisted ideology - children rolled the dice to move the Jews out of the city!If you have seen this exhibit, you will definitely want this book as it will remind you of what you saw. If you haven't, then this book will give you a fantastic overview of the tremendous lengths the Nazi state was willing to go to in order to keep control over the people. I consider myself to be very well-read on the history of Nazi Germany and WW-II, and I found many new things in this book. That is why I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the topic.
R**N
This is the best book on Nazi propaganda
This book is amazing and very well done. The editors did a fantastic job in finding content that perfectly outlines Nazi propaganda and their crimes against humanity. It is a great addition to anyone’s World War Two library. The color media found in this book is of exceptional quality. The content perfectly outlines how the Nazi’s would cater to peoples fears and deep seated hatred. It describes in a thorough manner every technique used by the Nazis with regards to their propaganda campaign. It also goes into detail regarding the Holocaust. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Nazi propaganda, the Holocaust, and WWII.
L**L
Lest We Forget
After visiting the special exhibit on Nazi propoganda at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, I knew I had to acquire this companion book. Full of important illustrations of objects used to sway minds and hearts, the book also has invaluable copy to go along with the graphics. In addition to being an essential history of the time, it also reminds us of the same manipulations used today in political campaigns and the media. Beautifully produced and should be read not only by adults but by every high school student in America!
J**N
Stunning look at the depth and force of propaganda
An amazing look at how propaganda arose to captivate an almost entire nation, Germany, during the Third Reich. This was also an exhibit at Austin Texas Bullock Museum in January 2017. It is brilliantly instructional on how propaganda is engineered with spin and repetition, reinforced by authoritarian sanctioned threats or outright violence for those who dissent.
N**O
A good work, although very one-sided
The book is too much fixated on the idea of holocaust. While I can't say anything against it - I think it really should have been reflected in the title, it's really just one side of Nazi propaganda, while I sought some good all-around review of it. For example, there's not much about motivating huge masses of people go to war against the whole world, which is much more of a puzzle if you ask me.
P**S
Four Stars
Facinating piece of historical literature.
D**T
Five Stars
Good info! Dan Ernst
J**S
Gran título
El libro está muy completo y fácil de entender, por el precio se me hace una muy buena compra.
B**R
Brilliant book. Loads of full colour prints
Brilliant book. Loads of full colour prints, satisfying size and comes as a hardback. Doesn't appear to contain propaganda for SS/SA recruitment or Hitler Youth which is a shame, focuses more upon propaganda against Jews (although I haven't finished reading it yet). Anyone complaining about cost in comparison to this book clearly doesn't have experience of art or full colour print books price is more than competative for what you receive.
M**R
book of art
great book..
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