Hitler And Stalin: Totalitarian Propaganda

Introduction
Ever since World War Two, when the dictators Hitler and Stalin rose to power, a new form of government has become ever more prevalent, both in popular culture and real life (Arendt). Through a singular ideology and extensive propaganda campaigns, totalitarian governments control the populace as completely as they are able, discouraging individual thought and criticism of their regime (Laqueur). Although relatively young in conception, the idea of a controlling, near-omnipotent government has left a lasting impression on our culture. Current dictators, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, bend the indoctrination techniques to their will (Shuster), and novelists such as Huxley and Orwell portrayed such governments in their respective
novels Brave New World and 1984 (Zuckerman).

Theme One
Totalitarianism is one of the most controlling, wide-spread forms of government. Defined as “a government system where the government recognizes no limits to its own authority and attempts to regulate all aspects of private and social life” (Laqueur), totalitarian governments actively seek a way to force its populace to view things in only the ways that the government wants. There are two recognized forms of totalitarianism, each with its own distinct characteristics (Canovan). The first one, the more widely-known of the two, serves as the basis for most of what the public thinks of when they think “totalitarian.” In this particular form of totalitarianism, a single party with a solid ideology works to control the populace through propaganda, mass surveillance, and widespread terror that serves to keep people afraid for their own wellbeing. Focusing on oppression, they work to conform individual viewpoints into one they can direct at will (Laqueur, Canovan). The other, lesser-known theory, was pioneered by Hannah Arendt, and holds that totalitarianism is a campaign of terror and automatic survival, in which mankind devolves to an animal-like state where the final outcome is the utter destruction of all within the system (Arendt). Although both ideas of totalitarianism have their merits, the one most actualized by government regimes is the first theory. Hitler, for one, came to power amid the fractured society of post-WWI Germany, and used his ideology of the master race and the hatred of Jews to gain rapid control of the German people. Any who spoke against him found themselves arrested or executed, and the fear of speaking out mixed with a widely-publicized message cemented his power and control over the people. At the same time, Stalin took and kept control of the Soviet Union and its people in much the same way as Hitler, although his methods, slightly more extreme, led his totalitarian government to focus more on pervasive terror than ideological goals (Canovan). In more recent news, Vladimir Putin has taken control of both Russia and Chechnya through a masterful blending of propaganda, re-education programs, and the sudden deaths of any who publically criticize his regime (Shuster). Totalitarianism, as a whole, allows for the control of a people through ideological principles and controlled terror.

Theme Two
Propaganda
Totalitarian governments retain control over the population through a variety of techniques, including extensive propaganda campaigns, a variety of re-education and indoctrination methods, and the use of wide-spread, inescapable terror (Cote, Laqueur, Canovan).
Propaganda, defined as the promotion or dissemination of particular ideas, has long been used as a means of influencing public opinion in one form or another (Jowett & O’Donnell). Often aimed at a group already sympathetic to the promoted agenda, propaganda serves two main purposes: one, to dehumanize and disparage certain groups of people, and two, to idealize and promote one party or person above everyone else.
The first type of propaganda, often used during war time, works to convince the home population that the enemy is the aggressor, and/or that they are deserving of any punishment that the home county may inflict. Techniques include racist or derogatory terms and making allegations of enemy atrocities, along with presented evidence of wrongdoing on the enemy’s part (Jowett & O’Donnell). This method was especially prevalent in Hitler’s Nazi Germany, where school teachers had orders to teach children that their race, the Aryan race, was superior to other races. Schools also emphasized the rightness of Germany for fighting in World War Two, and encouraged children to believe poorly of countries fighting against them (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Hitler also had his private police force, the SS, fabricate evidence that Poland had attacked Germany, giving Germany cause to fight in World War Two. This deception made the German population distrust the Polish, and believe in the government for their invasion (Holocaust Education and Archive Research Team).
The second kind of propaganda is commonly used by governments, especially totalitarian ones, to make a specific leader appear to be the best possible choice to lead the country.
Techniques for this method include saturating the media with positive reports, posting the leader’s picture in schools and workplaces, and painting opposition in a negative light. Stalin used such techniques in Soviet Russia to convince the population that he was a caring leader who sought only the best for his country (Cote). Along with extreme censorship of the media, Stalin kept his positive image and control of the government by only allowing books and artwork glorifying himself and his regime to be produced and distributed, and by decreeing that everyone keep a picture of Stalin in their house, often replacing images of religious figures such as Jesus Christ. He also threw anyone who spoke out against him into gulags (Cote). His careful preservation of his image allowed the people to believe in him even when the country was falling apart. In current affairs, Vladimir Putin has used many of the same techniques as Stalin to keep the Chechnyan people believing him to be a beloved ruler and a good man. Images of Putin’s face are plastered on every available surface; in schools, walls are painted on one side with the Kremlin towers, and on the other with the mosques of Chechnya. Positive statements are made constantly about Putin and his policy decisions, while any negative comments are met with arrest (Shuster). Propaganda campaigns such as these allow the government to control the perception of various factions, and manipulate the outcome to keep themselves in favor of the population they are seeking to
control.

Indoctrination
In totalitarian governments, the leaders tend to extend influence over large amounts of people (Meerloo). To keep this control, government leaders use, among other methods, indoctrination, which is often referred to as the reeducation of basic beliefs and values of an individual (Reichert). Often aimed at children, whose minds are more receptive to learning the ideology of the government, indoctrination includes targeted education and repetitive mantras, combined with environments designed to promote the ideas the children are learning (Myers, Stephen). Indoctrination has been used to great effect in previous and current totalitarian regimes, specifically Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Russia, and Vladimir Putin’s Chechnya.
In Nazi Germany, two primary organizations dealt with indoctrinating the German youth with Nazi Party ideals: Hitler Youth and The League of German Girls. Great emphasis was placed on how the Nazi Party was a movement of the youth, and children were encouraged to actively participate in groups to show their support for the government. In 1936, nearly 5.4 million children were active in various organizations, all working for the benefit of the Nazi Party. Eventually, any competing youth groups and organizations were prohibited and dissolved, and participation in these groups became a mandatory activity. Within these groups, teachers stressed utmost obedience to the fuhrer and the motherland, and aimed to create selfless individuals who would be willing to die for their country. The goal was proven achieved when, after the defeat of Germany in World War Two, many young adults continued on fighting in guerrilla units, earning the nickname “Werewolves.” Following this, Allied forces ordered that young Germans were to undergo “de-nazification” in an attempt to counter twelve years’ worth of indoctrination (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).