Home / Programs & Events / Spring 2026 Lunch and Learn Persuasion and Power

Persuasion and Power: The Third Reich’s Media Machine

From its earliest days, the Nazi Party excelled at manipulating audiences. Beginning in the 1920s, this five-week course examines the regime’s evolving strategies of persuasion, from the innovative electioneering techniques of 1932 to the fully developed propaganda apparatus of the Third Reich. Participants will explore how the Nazi state harnessed film, radio, print, visual art, mass spectacle, and education to promote ideology, cultivate loyalty, and marginalize or dehumanize targeted groups.

The course concludes by reflecting on why the study of Nazi propaganda still matters today, offering tools to recognize manipulation, misinformation, and the abuse of media power in contemporary societies. The goal is not only to understand the past, but to strengthen media literacy and critical awareness in the present.

This program is offered both in-person and on Zoom and requires registration below. The in-person program meets for 5 weeks on Thursdays beginning on February 26 at 12:oo pm at the Jewish Community Campus. The Zoom program meets on Fridays beginning on February 27 at 12:00 pm.

February 26/27- Voices from the Fringe: Early Nazi Propaganda in the 1920s

Explore the origins of Nazi messaging when the movement was on the margins of German society. This session examines how a small extremist group exploited fear, grievance, and nationalist sentiment to become a recognizable political force.

March 5/6- Campaigning for Power: The Elections of 1932

Examine the 1932 presidential and Reichstag elections, where the Nazi party highlighted messages of national revival, fear, and unity— carefully tailoring messages to different audiences.

March 12/13- The Nazi Ideal: Selling Belonging, Order, and the Führer

Explore how propaganda normalized Nazism as a way of life. From youth programs to community rituals, media portrayed loyalty to Hitler as identity, belonging, and stability—while defining who was excluded. Learn how lifestyle, symbolism, and personality cults reinforced obedience and discouraged nonconformity.

March 19/20 – “Fear and Mobilization: Enemies, Violence, and Total War

Analyze how propaganda escalated under war, portraying internal and external “enemies” to justify repression, violence, and sacrifice. This session reveals how fear, duty, and dehumanization were used to mobilize society for total war and normalize extreme violence.

March 26/27- Lessons from the Reich: Building Media Literacy for Today

Connect history to the present by examining how propaganda shaped beliefs in Nazi Germany—and how similar tactics appear today. Participants will learn to recognize manipulation, misinformation, and Holocaust denial, and gain practical tools for critical thinking, evaluating sources, and resisting media manipulation.

In-Person Course

Thursdays 12:00 – 1:15 p.m.
February 26 – March 27, 2026
Sessions will be held in person in the Board Room of the Jewish Community Center
Use the PayPal button below to register for the in person course.

Online Course

On Zoom
Fridays 12-1:15p.m.
February 27- March 28, 2026
Use this PayPal button to register for the online course.