There were several audiences for Nazi propaganda. Germans were reminded of the struggle against foreign enemies and Jewish subversion. During periods preceding legislation or executive measures against Jews, propaganda campaigns created an atmosphere tolerant of violence against Jews, particularly in 1935 (before the Nuremberg Race Laws of September) and in 1938 (prior to the barrage of antisemitic economic legislation following Kristallnacht). Propaganda also encouraged passivity and acceptance of the impending measures against Jews, as these appeared to depict the Nazi government as stepping in and “restoring order.”
Does the “struggle against foreign enemies” make you think of anything?
Are we seeing propaganda campaigns that are creating an atmosphere tolerant of violence against minorities?
Let’s make sure we don’t get passive just by getting used to the constant barrage of violence. After a few years of it, the German people didn’t mind when anti-Semitic economic legislation followed. By then, it had always been like that, preached from the very top of the government.
That didn’t end well.