Assignment Week 3

 One of the first things that both readers brought to mind was how propaganda used by the Nazis was not intended to radically change the opinions and attitudes of the masses, but rather it depended on the prevailing opinions of the German public. Both articles seemed to mention that the Nazis used propaganda relevant to already current beliefs. It was stated in the article by Sennett, “The propagandist deals with ideas, perceptions, and emotions that already have social currency.” Another thing the second article brought to my attention was how effective editing and camera angles are in persuading the audience to believe something. Riefenstahl’s tactics in filming her movie made the Nazis and Hitler seem like a wonderful and prideful power ignoring all of the problems that were actually taking place behind the scenes such as unemployment and real social reality. It is frightening to think about how a video was able to create so much approval of the Nazi regime in Germany and it makes me think that the German population was truly brainwashed. 

I was also interested in how strategic the Nazi regime was in finding a way to create the “people’s community.” I never realized how intelligent their plan was and how they relied on the 

German society's humiliation from the loss of the first world war and the society being weakened by inflation, economic depression, and mass unemployment to create a people’s community loyal to the Nazi party. 

Another thing I would like to discuss more about is why is the term propaganda looked down upon in the English-speaking world. A discussion question I would like to propose is that is it true that phrases such as history is written by the victors relate to propaganda. Do you think that if the Nazis and the Axis powers during ww2 won, would the English-speaking world see propaganda as a good thing today? 

I would like to discuss more about Riefenstahl’s beliefs towards the creation of her documentary when she was asked later on in her life. Do you think her intention in creating Triumph was political? I feel that it can go both ways after reading the second article.