The National Community and Propaganda

Building a National Community

The Nazis did not only want to rule Germany; they wanted to remake it into a single National Community, one people above class and region, bound together by loyalty to Hitler. ⭐ Culture, propaganda and the cult of Hitler were the tools. It genuinely appealed to many. ⚠️ See how it included by excluding. This community was defined as much by who it cast out, above all Jews, as by who it drew in, and the strongest answers show both.

Who was included, and who was excluded

The National Community drew its unity from a line between insiders and outsiders. Hold both sides.

Order how the National Community was built

Put the ways the Nazis tried to build the National Community into order.

• The Nazis proclaim a National Community above class and region
• Culture and the media are brought under control
• Propaganda and mass rallies preach unity and the cult of Hitler
• Shared rituals and organisations bind people in
• But the community is defined by excluding those deemed outsiders

What the National Community was

What was the Nazi National Community?

• The vision of uniting all so-called true Germans into one community, above class and region, loyal to Hitler, and defined by excluding those it deemed outsiders
• A plan to make all people in Germany fully equal
• A move towards democracy and free debate
• A union with foreign countries

Words for the National Community

Five words that let you explain how the community was built, rather than just describe it.

Spot the tools of the National Community

Three of these were tools the Nazis used to build the National Community. Choose the three.

• Propaganda and mass rallies
• Control of culture and the media
• The cult of Hitler
• Free and fair elections
• A free and independent press

A community built by exclusion

The sharpest answers show that the National Community included some by excluding others. It had real appeal. The Nazis preached a community above the old divisions of class and region, and used controlled culture, propaganda and the cult of Hitler to make people feel part of a national revival. Many were genuinely won over. But its unity rested on shutting others out. Jews, above all, and others deemed outsiders were cast beyond the community. The feeling of belonging was strengthened by the hard line drawn around who did not belong. Showing both the appeal and the exclusion is the grade 9 move.

Match each tool of the National Community to what it was

Find the sentence that shows both sides

A student writes about the National Community. Select the ONE sentence that shows it included by EXCLUDING.

• The National Community drew many Germans together through propaganda and the cult of Hitler, but its unity rested on casting out Jews and others deemed outsiders.
• The National Community united absolutely everyone in Germany equally.
• The National Community had no effect on anyone at all.
• The National Community was a move towards democracy.

A worked example: the club that draws a line

Think of a club that builds a fierce sense of belonging among its members. Part of what makes the members feel special is knowing exactly who is not allowed in. The pride of the insiders is bound up with the line that keeps others out; the two feelings feed each other. Hold that idea. A powerful sense of togetherness is often built partly by defining an outsider, so the belonging of some rests on the exclusion of others.

Complete the account of the community

The Nazi vision of a united German people above class and region was the _____. One-sided information spread to shape belief was _____. The built-up image of Hitler as saviour was the _____. The art, film and media brought under control were the _____. A person cast out of the community was an _____.

Judge the National Community

Which is the soundest understanding of the National Community?

• A tool of control that used propaganda and the cult of Hitler to unite so-called true Germans while defining itself by excluding those it deemed outsiders
• A genuine attempt to make everyone equal
• An idea that appealed to no one
• A step towards democracy

Its appeal, and its dark side

The strongest answers weigh both, because the appeal and the exclusion were two sides of one idea.

Judge the National Community like an examiner

You are marking three claims about the National Community. For each, choose the soundest judgement.

• An essay says the National Community united all Germans equally. Is that safe?
• An essay says the idea had no appeal. Is that safe?
• An essay says propaganda played no part in building it. Is that safe?

Write: the National Community and its exclusions

How did the Nazis try to build a National Community, and who did it exclude? Explain the tools, weigh the appeal against the exclusion, and reach a judgement. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.

• Explain the vision of a National Community
• Explain the tools: culture, propaganda and the cult of Hitler
• Explain its genuine appeal
• Explain who was excluded
• Reach a supported judgement holding appeal and exclusion together