Sound and the Nazi uprising
The first tape recorder was invented in 1920s Germany. At this time, all broadcasts were live as there were very limited ways to record audio. In the 1930s, the germans reduced the distortion from the recording process, allowing for cleaner audio, called the Magnetophon. Later in 1935, the K1 was invented, a more practical version of the magnetophone.
These recorders were crucial to the Nazi uprising, allowing their propaganda to be played anywhere and everywhere, for the first time in history. This allowed for propaganda that has never been seen at the time. These recordings were normally played on speakers, or looped on the radio.
Speakers
Speakers were primarily used before they rose to power but were still used afterwards. Hitler recounted in Mein Kampf, that he had realized that it was not written matter but the spoken word that brought about changes, as people would not read things that they disagreed with, but would linger to hear a speaker (1). Supposedly Hitler preferred his recordings and hated live speeches.
They had speakers specifically for Germanys youth, to radicalise them at a young age.
They experimented with their speeches and forms of sonic propaganda with speakers, to experiment to see what worked and what didn’t. If the crowd was disgusted, bored or angry, they would change their tactics and try again, until they created the perfect propaganda.
Radio
Despite the radio being an important tool that they utilised, Hitler was not too fond of using the radio initially and only used them when he came to power. Here, Hitler’s speeches were broadcasted over all over Germany. His speeches became so important that public speakers, restaurants and pubs played his speeches whenever he was delivering them. After his speeches, the weekly posters and newspapers would further talk about his speeches.
The nazis started selling cheap radios which were accessible to anyone. This was done so you could listen to Hitler’s speeches at home. These radios were so successful that 70% of homes had one at the start of WW2. After a while, people stopped tuning in just to hear Hitler’s speeches, so they started playing more entertainment on the radio, such as music, so they would be used even more (3).
Supposedly, using the radio was necessary to promote genocide (2).
Music
The nazis banned many forms of music that allowed people to be expressive, mainly jazz, and any Jewish music.
“Propaganda music” was music commissioned by the nazi party propaganda department, and spanned all genres. They all promoted the Nazi ideals and what “proper music” should sound like. After banning all jazz and swing in the country, Nazis prompted orchestras and more classical forms of music. This was proper music to them, and everything else is degenerative.
Before fully banning jazz, they used it for propaganda. The Nazi’s propaganda department created a jazz/swing band. They played famous American music with pro-nazi lyrics. “Their idea was to enthral listeners with a swing and then hit them with messages of Aryan supremacy, Churchill’s hopelessness, and Jewish conspiracies (4).” This propaganda band became the most famous jazz/swing band in Germany (as they were the only one) and would play 5 days a week. While their lyrics changed throughout the war, they continued until 1945, when Nazi Germany lost.
Sources
1 – Milton Mayer, They Thought They Were Free: The Germans
3 – https://daily.jstor.org/an-affordable-radio-brought-nazi-propaganda-home/
Links
https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/design/articles/2019/september/12/the-starry-rise-of-magnetic-tape/