Persuasive Propaganda

Alice Hamilton presents an interesting comment in her article which emphasized what we have witnessed the past few weeks with Hitler Youth Quex and Kuhle Wampe. She wrote, "Both [Communists and Nazis] appealed to hatred, both held out an ideal of a changed Germany, but Hitler's propaganda was cleverer than the Communists', because his program [was] narrower, more concrete" (1). Hitler Youth Quex and Kuhle Wampe were great depictions of this idea. In Hitler Youth Quex, you left the movie humming the Nazi Youth song, understanding what needed to be done, and in many ways feeling for Heini after witnessing the destruction that was brought on to him by the Communists. However in Kuhle Wampe, I left the theater feeling extremely confused - not only about the plot but about what I was supposed to feel. The "wonderful" thing about Hitler Youth Quex was that you didn't have to think about what you were supposed to feel, you just felt it. Hitler's propaganda was so precise and persuasive that you didn't have to think about where you should align yourself and who you should support. I think this is why Hitler Youth Quex resonated with our class and with the youth during that time period and why Kuhle Wampe left us feeling uncertain and unsure of where to go next.