FAKE NEWS IN NAZI GERMANY
The use of fake news was a vital part of spreading violent anti-Semitism
(hatred of Jews) in Germany before and during World War II (1939–1945).
During the lead-up to the war, German dictator Adolf Hitler described news
outlets that criticized his policies as the
Lügenpresse
(lying press).
Hitler’s Nazi Party eventually seized control of German newspapers, radio
stations, and newsreel companies (which produced short news-based films
shown in movie theaters) and used them to spread its own fake news. Much of
this “news” took the form of propaganda: information that purposely misleads
people and that promotes a particular point of view based on biased or false
ideas. Using state-run media, the Nazi Party charged that Communists (those
who support state ownership of all businesses, factories, land, and other
property) wanted to take over German government and businesses. The Nazis
falsely blamed Communist agitators for a fire that destroyed the Reichstag
(the building that hosts the lower house of the German legislature). Hitler then
had Communist lawmakers arrested, which left the Nazis with a majority
of seats in the legislature. The legislature then passed the Enabling Act of
1933. The act allowed Hitler and his advisers to enact any laws they pleased,
without the approval or involvement of lawmakers. Thus Hitler gained full
dictatorial power.
The Nazi propaganda machine also spread hateful, false rumors about
Germany’s Jews. While Germany was suffering deep economic hardship, the
propaganda accused Jews of stealing jobs and unfairly controlling banks and
other financial institutions. It also described Jews as less morally fit than
Christians in Germany. Over time, Nazi propaganda was able to dehumanize
Jews, portraying them as figures of evil and weakening resistance to laws
that discriminated against Jews. The Nazis enacted more than four hundred
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