28th Annual Student Research Conference
Popular Music as Propaganda in the Third Reich
Caleb R. Haselhuhn
Dr. Marc Rice, Faculty Mentor
During the Nazi reign, a specialized agency used popular music as a form of propaganda in order to bring the populous to their cause by building pride and support for the Nazi party itself, hiding the horrific nature of their actions, and convincing the people that it was somehow acceptable. Horstwessellied, the Hitler Youth Anthem, and Wagners Rienzi all exemplify the Nazis exploitation of popular music. This paper examines the history of this agency, its goals and the methods that it employed to shape the psyche of the German people. In addition, these three pieces will be analyzed to reveal their historical, referential, and formalistic characteristics that served the Nazi cause.
Keywords: Music, Nazi, Propaganda, Germany, Politics, History
Topic(s):Music
History
Interdisciplinary
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 412-4
Location: OP 2117
Time: 3:15