Abstract

Mass rallies were among the NSDAP’s most important and effective propaganda tools. They were supposed to symbolize the individual’s solidarity with—or better yet, complete subordination to—the national community [Volksgemeinschaft]. They also aimed to mobilize the masses in ongoing support of Nazi goals. In the photograph below, the two banners on the rear wall of the Berlin Sportpalast read: “The Jews are our Misfortune” [“Die Juden sind unser Unglück”] and “Women and girls, the Jews are out to ruin you” [“Frauen und Mädchen, die Juden sind Euer Verderben”]. While slogans of this sort were obviously used to advance the Nazi agenda, antisemitism was by no means the party’s only or even its most common message (especially not in the early 1930s). Rather, the NSDAP also appealed to widespread ideals such as social cohesion, equal rights, and national pride.

NSDAP Mass Rally at the Sportpalast in Berlin (August 15, 1935)

Source

Source: “The Jews are our misfortune” – Nazi mass event with antisemitic slogans in the Berlin Sportpalast. Date: August 15, 1935. Unknown photographer.
bpk-Bildagentur, image number 30015376. For rights inquiries, please contact Art Resource at requests@artres.com (North America) or bpk-Bildagentur at kontakt@bpk-bildagentur.de (for all other countries).

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