Adolf hitlers inner circle were the most powerful men in the third reich. Book burning united states holocaust memorial museum. When books were burned in germany germany news and in. The largest of these book bonfires occurred in berlin, where an estimated 40,000 people gathered to hear a speech by the propaganda minister, joseph. This is a list of hitlers top 10 henchmen, who they were and a brief explanation of their roles. Propaganda why the nazis were able to stay in power.
Usually carried out in a public context, the burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or political opposition to the materials in question. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to nazism. Propaganda and social control kept the population in line. Eightyfive years ago, fires fueled with literature labeled ungerman by the nazi regime burned across the country. On may 10, 1933, university students in 34 university towns across germany burned over 25,000 books. Us holocaust memorial museum, courtesy of national archives and records administration, college park, md. A series of coordinated book burnings took place across germany in an attempt to eliminate ungerman works.
Nazi propaganda minister joseph goebbels and the american office of war information took on similar tasks during world war ii. Nazis and students burn books on a huge bonfire of antigerman literature in the opernplatz, berlin, in 1933. Hitler youth movement burn, at the behest of propaganda minister joseph goebbels, upwards of 25,000 books decreed to be ungerman. Joseph goebbels served as minister of propaganda for the german third reich under adolf hitler, and as german chancellor for a day. The first books burned were those of karl marx and karl kautsky. A member of the sa throws confiscated books into the bonfire during the public burning of ungerman books on the opernplatz in berlin, may 10, 1933. Propaganda minister joseph goebbels addresses the gathering putting it all in context for his young audience. These included books written by jewish, pacifist, religious, liberal, anarchist, socialist, communist, and sexologist authors among others. A crowd of 40,000 people watch ungerman books, by authors not considered to conform to nazi ideaology, being burned in the opernplatz, berlin, 10th may 1933. The burning of the books in nazi germany, 1933 museum of. Why the nazis were able to stay in power the nazis crushed opposition through legal moves, fear and intimidation. Book burnings in germany, 1933 american experience. It was a finely balanced team of military commanders, administrative leaders and ministers of the nazi party nsdap.
Book burning refers to the ritual destruction by fire of books or other written materials. Joseph goebbels, reich minister for public enlightenment and and propaganda, speaking at the berlin book burning, may 10, 1933. Unlike earlier nazi book burnings where specific books were deliberately targeted, the burning of this library was part of the general setting on fire of a large part of the city of warsaw. The exhibit featured a representative sampling of the burnt books, displayed photographs of the writerswho ranged from albert einstein to thomas mann, jack. Many book burnings were held, but the book burning on may 10, 1933 was perhaps the most famous. Paul joseph goebbels was a german nazi politician and reich minister of propaganda of nazi germany from 1933 to 1945.
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