Episode 1: Building the Brand

Hitler’s fascination with propaganda was born in the trenches of the First World War. There he saw it emerge as a potent tool of psychological warfare - one that he would harness to build the Nazi movement over the course of the 1920’s and early 1930’s. He used simple, repetitive rhetoric, striking images and symbolism and his talent as a public speaker to tap into the discontent of the German people. This episode explores Hitler’s early propaganda tactics as he rose through the ranks of the Nazi Party, from PR man to ultimate leader.

Episode 2: Power and Persuasion

A decade of propaganda, of impassioned speeches, newspaper articles, posters and campaigning all led to one moment: Hitler is made Chancellor of Germany in January 1933. With this act, the dismantling of German democracy began. This episode explores Hitler’s approach to propaganda in power, where persuasion was achieved through propaganda and through terror, all in service of one goal: to create a state under one shared ideology; One People, One Reich, One Fuhrer. Where films, posters, rallies and speeches perpetuated the idea of new German power; and where those deemed undesirable faced the terrible fate of the concentration camp.

Episode 3: Why We Fight

As Hitler’s ambitions spread beyond Germany’s borders, the world drew inexorably toward another great war. This one would be fought on many fields of battle: in the air, sea and on land, but also for the hearts and minds of the people - battles fought over the radio waves, in newspaper print, on posters plastering cities and on the silver screen. This episode explores the way Hitler used propaganda to justify his warmongering, reframing it as defence of Germany’s people and borders. It investigates the role propaganda played for both Hitler and the Allies to mobilise their countries for war.