The Jewish Enemy: Nazi Propaganda During World War II and the Holocaust

The Jewish Enemy: Nazi Propaganda During World War II and the Holocaust is a book by University of Maryland professor Jeffrey Herf. In it, Herf postulates that the Nazi government maintained its hold on the German people by controlling the press and claiming that Germans were already being attacked by an international Jewish conspiracy.

Reference to World War I

Hitler and his accomplice asserted that, international Jewry's central agenda was to control and dominate the world. He thought they were very manipulative in putting world leaders like Russia, England and America into wars that would cause most of their citizens to lose innocent lives in fighting for the interest of the Jewish people, not for their own.This was in reference to the World War I. He also felt Germany was their target, especially since the Jews were good at controlling public opinion polls in their lands, the lands of the enemy and the other neutral nations in the world. As a result, Nazi Germany continue to propagate that since the Jews had established anti-Semitic laws to safeguard their interest and made it a taboo for any nations or individuals to criticize them as they would turn the world against such countries. The Germans had been the first to break such laws as Anti-Semitic and so Nazi German was likely to receive the hatred of the world according to Hitler. In 1933, Nazi took power and created a news ministry called the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda ( the RMVP). This ministry received directives from Hitler to what message was to be sent across to the German Society. Hitler's hate speeches were printed and published in newspapers, posters and were broadcast in radio.

Nazi Germany under Weimar Years

During Weimar years, Nazi propagandists often gave false accounts of events on Jews, portraying them as evils and mischievous. Even when there was an appeasement in the West and the Nonaggression Pack in the East ( within the Soviet Union) which sought to promote peace, Hitler and some influential members of the Nazi gave it a negative connotation; saying the intention of the two meetings was for the powerful international Jewish to conspire and wage war against the Third Reich.

Hitler's Intention

On August 22, 1939, there was a gathering in Obersalzburg where Hitler spoke to other Nazi leaders and Wehrmacht generals to be ready for a war against the Jews. This was shortly before the invasion of Poland. Hitler was serious with his intention and therefore wanted to let the German army understand that the war with the Jews would be like never before in history. He stated, " Our war aim is not to attain a particular line ( in the east), but the physical destruction of the enemy." Some Historians had asserted perhaps Hitler was making reference to wars in the East or the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 that resulted in genocide because of the reactions of Turkish and Armenian to the loss of Ottoman lands. In this case, most Christians in the Balkan had criticized the Ottoman rule, and subsequent result of expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Muslims to the Ottoman Empire. The young Turks were furious for that matter. In 1914, Ittihadist leaders strategized plan for cleansing western Anatolia ( made up of the Christian Greeks and Armenians). The resentment of the young Turks and Ittihadist leaders or nationalist against the Armenians resulted in a massive war at the time. Unlike the case of Holocaust where specific order, date and meeting were initiated from the top by Hitler's Administration, this war was different since no record of precise order from the top was indicated neither did any precise date the war was initiated. German army officers particularly the Wehrmacht generals had played significant roles; as advisors to the Ottoman forces during the Armenian genocide.

Nazi Ideologies

There were different ideologies that had helped spark Nazi attack on the Jews; German nationalism, racism, and Anti-Semitism. The modern state of government had also implemented anti-Jewish legislation and had encouraged mass murder or the Holocaust.

External links

• Harvard books page