Does anybody have the Goebbels quote on

[kiraboo]

how easily the public is mislead into supporting war... create an enemy, denounce pacifists and unpatriotic etc. ? Somebody here has it as his/here sig line, I think. Thanks for any help!

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Here is a source for quotes...

http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote/joseph_goebbels_quote_402a



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda

The Nazis believed in propaganda as a vital tool in achieving their goals. Adolf Hitler, Germany's Führer, was impressed by the power of Allied propaganda during World War I and believed that it had been a primary cause of the collapse of morale and revolts in the German home front and Navy in 1918 (see also: Dolchstoßlegende). Hitler would meet nearly every day with Goebbels to discuss the news and Goebbels would obtain Hitler's thoughts on the subject; Goebbels would then meet with senior Ministry officials and pass down the official Party line on world events. Broadcasters and journalists required prior approval before their works were disseminated.

Nazi propaganda before the start of World War II had several distinct audiences:

* German audiences were continually reminded of the struggle of the Nazi Party and Germany against foreign enemies and internal enemies, especially Jews.
* Ethnic Germans in countries such as Czechoslovakia, Poland, the Soviet Union, and the Baltic states were told that blood ties to Germany were stronger than their allegiance to their new countries.
* Potential enemies, such as France and the United Kingdom, were told that Germany had no quarrel with the people of the country, but that their governments were trying to start a war with Germany.
* All audiences were reminded of the greatness of German cultural, scientific, and military achievements.

Until the conclusion of the Battle of Stalingrad on February 4, 1943, German propaganda emphasized the prowess of German arms and the supposed humanity German soldiers had shown to the peoples of occupied territories. Pilots of the Allied bombing fleets were depicted as cowardly murderers, and Americans in particular as gangsters in the style of Al Capone. At the same time, German propaganda sought to alienate Americans and British from each other, and both these Western belligerents from the Soviets.

After Stalingrad, the main theme changed to Germany as the sole defender of what they called "Western European culture" against the "Bolshevist hordes". The introduction of the V-1 and V-2 "vengeance weapons" was emphasized to convince Britons of the hopelessness of defeating Germany.

On June 23, 1944, the Nazis permitted the Red Cross to visit concentration camp Theresienstadt in order to dispel rumours about the Final Solution to the Jewish question. In reality, Theresienstadt was a transit camp for Jews en route to extermination camps, but in a sophisticated propaganda effort, fake shops and cafés were erected to imply that the Jews lived in relative comfort. The guests enjoyed the performance of a children's opera, Brundibar, written by inmate Hans Krása. The hoax was so successful for the Nazis that they went on to make a propaganda film at Theresienstadt. Shooting of the film began on February 26, 1944. Directed by Kurt Gerron, it was meant to show how well the Jews lived under the "benevolent" protection of the Third Reich. After the shooting, most of the cast, and even the filmmaker himself, were deported to the concentration camp of Auschwitz.

Goebbels committed suicide shortly after Hitler on April 30, 1945. In his stead, Hans Fritzsche, who had been head of the Radio Chamber, was tried and acquitted by the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal.

"Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda chief (director of communications, in the current parlance), once said that if you are going to lie, you should tell a big lie,"

[kiraboo]

2. Not the quote I'm looking for, but definitely information

I can use. Thanks, BrklynLiberal :)

[theHandpuppet]

3. The quote is from Hermann Goering, not Goebbels

“Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” -- Hermann Goering

[kiraboo]

5. Thank you! I told my soon-to-be-ex husband that it was

Goering, but he said Goering was too stupid to have come up with anything along those lines, and that it had to be Goebbels as Minister of Propoganda.

A pleasure on two fronts: 1) you gave me the quote; and 2) I can tell him he's wrong. Laugh.

[theHandpuppet]

7. You're welcome

Here are some additional Goering quotes: http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/hermann_goering/

[helderheid]

4. this?

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."

-- Herman Goering - Nazi Reichsmarshall and Luftwaffe-Chief at the

[dipsydoodle]

6. You beat me to it !

I reckon that's the most likely one and these days certainly the most appropriate. Quite amazing how good we've all become at quoting the Nazis.

[serryjw]

9. RFLOL!

I have it also on my hard drive...Wonder why history repeats itself?

[Stevepol]

8. Just saw Howard Zinn on C-Span make a comment using this quote.

The comment came in response to the idea raised by nearly anybody when confronted with the idea of abolishing war. "But it's in man's nature to go to war" is the idea.

But Zinn said that's not true. It's not in man's nature to go to war. And here he quoted the Goering quote or a similar one along the same line. People by nature want to eat and survive and by happy avoid war if at all possible. It's the governments that want war and that are able to convince the people to go along with it, by the techniques that Goering lists.

I have a thought though. I do think it's in human nature (the unconscious anyway) to react with aggression and to be ready to react with violence when threatened. It's built into our genes. But this tendency is easily contained if the full weight of the government propagandizing and lying can be held at bay. I think people want to have confidence and to live with "snap," that is to give a picture of success. That's the appeal of the army, the brisk salutes, the snappy music, the well-pressed uniforms, the camaraderie. It has nothing to do with the desire to maim and mutilate as many people as possible.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Goering. Not Goebbels. Quote below.

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders...tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
~Herman Goering

[Swamp Rat]

11. You are thinking of Hermann Goering - here's Goebbels on propaganda:

"The concept of propaganda has undergone a fundamental transformation, particularly as the result of political practice in Germany. Throughout the world today, people are beginning to see that a modern state, whether democratic or authoritarian, cannot withstand the subterranean forces of anarchy and chaos without propaganda. It is not only a matter of doing the right thing; the people must understand that the right thing is the right thing. Propaganda includes everything that helps the people to realize this.

Political propaganda in principle is active and revolutionary. It is aimed at the broad masses. It speaks the language of the people because it wants to be understood by the people. Its task is the highest creative art of putting sometimes complicated events and facts in a way simple enough to be understood by the man on the street. Its foundation is that there is nothing the people cannot understand, but rather things must be put in a way that they can understand. It is a question of making it clear to him by using the proper approach, evidence, and language.

Propaganda is a means to an end. Its purpose is to lead the people to an understanding that will allow them to willingly and without internal resistance devote themselves to the tasks and goals of a superior leadership. If propaganda is to succeed, it must know what it wants. It must keep a clear and firm goal in mind, and seek the appropriate means and methods to reach that goal. Propaganda as such is neither good nor evil. Its moral value is determined by the goals it seeks.

Propaganda must be creative. It is by no means a matter for the bureaucracy or official administration, but rather it is a matter of productive fantasy. The genuine propagandist must be a true artist. He must be a master of the popular soul, using it as an instrument to express the majesty of a genuine and unified political will. Propaganda can be pro or con. In neither case does it have to be negative. The only thing that is important is whether or not its words are true and genuine expressions of a people’s values. During its period of opposition, the National Socialist movement proved that criticism can be constructive, indeed, that in a time which the government is in the hands of destructive powers it may be the only constructive element."

- Dr. Joseph Goebbels, Der Kongress zur Nürnberg 1934 (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP., Frz. Eher Nachf., 1934), pp. 130-141. Speech given at Nuremberg Rally - 1934.

[DancingBear]

12. Like the one in my sig line? n/t

[otherlander]

13. Ah, yes, Goebbels. The rightwing failed novelist

who tried to make the ghettos look like decent places. Don't we know someone like that?