Peer Review

Nazi and East German Propaganda

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Reviewed:: Jan 13, 2009 by History

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: The Nazi and East German propaganda site is a somewhat eclectic collection of English translations of Nazi Party (NSDAP) and East German (DDR) propaganda. The site author follows in the tradition of Jacques Ellul, defining "propaganda as the systematic attempt to persuade a public to accept the views of its leaders." As a result, the author includes a wide variety of sources, ranging from speeches delivered by party leaders to children's schoolbooks.
Type of Material:: Sources included in the site are a selection of mainly author translated works from Nazi party publications, along with speeches and addresses by Nazi party officials, as well as East German publications and official speeches; all are sources that the author defines as propaganda. Also included on the site are a great variety of illustrations such as Nazi and East German posters and book illustrations.
Recommended Uses:: The site serves audiences who are interested in studying Nazi and East German propaganda. Probably the best audience for the site will be those students taking courses that focus topics such as German history, Holocaust, World War II, or the use of propaganda. It is also useful to those studying the Cold War or the history of education in Germany. In addition, the site can serve at the graduate level as a guide for those beginning to do research on German propaganda.
Technical Requirements:: None.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: To acquaint students with the first major use of propaganda to justify the existence of totalitarian regimes in Nazi Germany and its East German successor state. The authors do not offer any specific learning goals.
Target Student Population:: high school to graduate level.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Some knowledge of 20th century German history would be helpful.

Content Quality

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Strengths:: The content materials is divided into three sections: Pre-1933 Material, 1933-1945 Material on Nazi Germany, and East German Propaganda 1949-1989. There is an extensive list of primary sources that are available for each section. There are links to photographs of buildings and locations associated with Nazi movement. Each photographic image includes a picture of the building or site when the specific regime was in power and how it looks today. It appears that at least one of the authors was stimulated in the creation of this site by the role his father played as a member of the United States armed forces serving in Germany during World War II.
Concerns:: Most of the sources used are rather difficult to obtain, contrary to the author's assertion that they can be obtained through interlibrary loan with ease. This makes checking translations nearly impossible. It would have been helpful, though more labor intensive, had the author provided scans of the original German document for comparison with his English translation.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

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Strengths:: The site provides evidence derived from primary sources that allows students to explore modern German history and the various examples of propaganda. Also, it students gain some insight into the mindset of those who followed the Nazi and Communist ideologies.
Concerns:: The user will have to determine how to use the site. Using the site as learning object is not currently offered by the site authors. Because it appears to still be a work in progress, this may be remedied in the future. It might be helpful for the authors to suggest primary source material that would work for different levels of undergraduate course work. The addition of possible discussion questions would be helpful.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

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Strengths:: The site is easy to navigate for both students and faculty.
Concerns:: Some of the pictures do not download. For instance, the "Toadstool" pictures did not always appear.

Other Issues and Comments:: The author explicitly states that his site does not promote a Nazi agenda and in his introduction to his sources even notes at times the misinformation being presented in the Nazi sources. The author offers on the site the sale of Nazi and East German Communist items that he once used for research purposes. This is somewhat unseemly, detracting from the overall scholarly nature of the site. Also, the site is marred by the Google ads that are placed in the middle of sources. The author explained that this was necessary to cover the expenses of maintaining the site for use in his classroom and making it available to other academics. In addition, the author recommends a number of books for additional reading on his subject. Most are all well-regarded amongst scholars. The author agreed to drop the William Shirer work, which is no longer accepted as a credible source of information among academics.
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