Propaganda Content and Strategies of Nazi Germany from the Perspective of Emotional Communication

Abstract

This paper, based on the theory of emotional communication, examines how Nazi Germany utilized and controlled public emotions in their propaganda content and strategies. Emotions play a crucial role in shaping audience attitudes and behaviors in the field of journalism and communication. Emotionally charged content can capture audience attention and resonance, and more importantly, emotions can induce specific behaviors during the process of communication. In terms of propaganda content, Nazi Germany extensively employed emotional rhetoric in their internal and external propaganda materials, frequently utilizing emotive language to incite the public, manipulate their value orientation, and cater to their emotional demands. They tightly linked the people's desire for national resurgence with an anti-Semitic ideology. In terms of propaganda strategies, Nazi Germany facilitated the spread of emotions through the "repetition-memory" effect, creating specific symbols and establishing an emotional space by constructing a simulated environment. Simultaneously, the Nazi regime attempted to mobilize emotions and induce people to participate in specific actions to enhance the efficacy of emotional communication. From the perspective of emotional communication efficacy, this propaganda approach undoubtedly garnered support and consolidated the power of the Third Reich to a certain extent. However, on the other hand, excessive stimulation and exploitation of public emotions also triggered a backlash and accelerated the downfall of the empire. The propaganda strategies of Nazi Germany serve as a reminder to contemporary media practitioners to make good use of emotional communication and strike a balance between emotional manipulation and truthful reporting. It also advises the general public to maintain calmness and objectivity when consuming news reports, so as not to be swayed by excessive emotional values.