Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany
I can describe how the Nazi Party used propaganda to attempt to control and influence attitudes in Germany.
Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany
I can describe how the Nazi Party used propaganda to attempt to control and influence attitudes in Germany.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Nazi propaganda aimed to build belief, not just obedience, by saturating daily life with its message.
- Joseph Goebbels created a simple, repeated narrative to shape public perception and loyalty.
- Spectacles like the Nuremberg Rallies and films like "Triumph of the Will" mesmerised and unified audiences.
- The Reich controlled all culture - music, art, media - through censorship and state approval to silence opposition.
- Propaganda shaped public behaviour; dissent was rare as people feared punishment and social isolation.
Keywords
Propaganda - information or ideas that are spread with the intention of influencing people's opinions; media that is designed to promote a particular political agenda
Censorship - the act of banning ideas, books, or media from reaching the public, because they are seen as offensive, harmful, or politically dangerous, or because someone wants to keep certain information secret
Narrative - a structured story or a particular way of explaining or understanding events
Reich - meaning empire, under the Nazis, it referred to the Third Reich, their name for Hitler’s regime, which they saw as the third great German empire after the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire
Common misconception
Everyone in Germany fully believed the Nazi propaganda.
While some people genuinely believed, many conformed due to fear, peer pressure, or habit. Propaganda created surface unity - not universal belief.
To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Goebbels and propaganda in Nazi Germany, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
- Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
