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Poster for the 1933 rally in Nuremberg. The official name of the Nazi Party was the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP).
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In this chapter we will examine the famous Nuremberg Rallies. Held yearly, they were one of the most important events in Nazi Germany, where propaganda played a central role.
KEY QUESTION
What role did the Nuremberg Rallies play in Nazi Germany?
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What was the purpose of the Nuremberg rallies?
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In Nazi Germany, rallies and parades were very common and played a very important role. They combined popular festival, glorification of military values, political meeting and sacred occasion. They were designed to emphasise the importance of the People’s Community (the Volksgemeinschaft) and the contribution of each individual to the national will. They also gave a sense of order and discipline and made for an excellent propaganda spectacle.
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The annual Nazi Party rally held at Nuremberg was the most important of all. Staged over a number of days in early September, it involved hundreds of thousands of participants, with representatives of all party organisations, including the SS, the SA, the army and the Hitler Youth and its female counterpart, the League of German Maidens. Goebbels described the rallies at Nuremberg as ‘the High Mass of the party’.
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The Nuremberg Rallies served a number of propaganda purposes: Their primary purpose was to strengthen the personality cult of Adolf Hitler. All events during the rallies were designed to portray Hitler as Germany’s saviour.
They were designed to promote the concept of the Volksgemeinschaft. They demonstrated the dynamism and energy of National Socialism. They created the impression both at home and abroad that the regime was popular, commanding the unlimited enthusiasm and loyalty of the general population. CASE STUDY: THE NUREMBERG RALLIES ❘ 63
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