Propaganda: Stamps

People today are intrigued by how Adolph Hitler managed to create such a huge following. In reality, the propaganda of Hitler and the Nazi Party permeated all aspects of life within the countries that came under the control of the Third Reich.

Generally people do not pay much attention to a stamp. They simply lick it and stick it. The Nazi propaganda machine made use of these simple, everyday items. The stamps used images of comradeship, a benign and powerful leadership, a shared national struggle and building a better future for the next generation. The pictures were brightly coloured, positive and marked important moments in the Party's history. How could such reasonable and encouraging messages be wrong?

These stamps were part of an elaborate programme of propaganda designed to silence doubters and unite people behind a shared belief. Taken at face value many of the messages seem appealing and harmless. It is interesting to see how subtlety the message is conveyed in the stamps and how the messages change as the power of Hitler and his party grows, reaches its height and is suddenly brought to an end. The activities suggested are only limited indication of what could be done using this magnificent resource. This topic uses stamps from the period from 1933 to 1948.

The British Library has a vast collection of stamps from all over the world.

Activity 1
Designing a stamp