Hitler the Orator

1. Hitler the Orator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syI_B8a5IV4

2. a public speaker, especially oneofgreatpersuasiveness: Orator

3. Hitler was certainly a megalomaniac, power hungry, and so obsessed with racial purity that he had no problem in exterminating millions of innocent people. These gross crimes against humanity were, however, clearly and coldly reasoned and cannot be excused as the actions of a raving lunatic

4. Hitler’s speeches, far from revealing his insanity, are examples of his careful, clear sighter planning and intelligent strategies in communication and audience manipulation. • In order to sway the German masses to follow him, Hitler had to be a master communicator. He also knew what the people wanted to hear and he exploited that. • He was ruthless with words and would exert so much emotion in his speeches that people thought he would back up anything he said

5. “...the personification of the devil as the symbol of all evil assumes the living shape of the Jew.”

6. Hitler was a natural orator. His first public speech was a fiery rebuttal from the back row of a point made in a Workers’ Party meeting. • He impressed the party leader, Anton Drexler so much that Drexler wanted Hitler to join him. • According to Marshall Cavendish in History of World War I, Drexler told a colleague, “Goodness, he’s got a big mouth. We could use him,” and very shortly appointed Hitler manager of propaganda. • As the spokesman for the party, Hitler soon challenged for leadership and changed the Workers’ Party name to the Nationalist Socialist (Nazi) Party. Hitler’s first speech and rise to power

7. There is evidence that Hitler constantly refined and developed his skills as orator. • Hitler’s best friend and official photographer Heinrich Hoffman often took photos of Hitler practicing gestures to one of his tape recorded speeches. • Hitler had ordered him to destroy them but Hoffman disobeyed. Like many good public speakers, Hitler prepared and practised his speeches, often in front of a mirror. Hitler practices his oratorical skills

8. The few seconds of seemingly hysterical ranting that are preserved in old newsreels do not convey the full extent of audience manipulation in a Hitler speech. • Many of Hitler’s speeches were made in beer halls such as the Hofbrauhaus where he first outlined the party policy to a crowd of 2000. Beer Hall speeches were a long-established tradition in German politics. • Beer would flow freely and the mood of the audience might change considerably over the course of the evening. Hitler would use these conditions cleverly. He would often address a crowd for two house, commencing in a calm friendly manner, winning the crowd’s approval with his precise, logical arguments that took his opponents statements and cut them into shreds. • As the audience warmed to him and steadily got drunker, Hitler’s voice became hypnotic. Hitler was extremely interested in mesmerism (hypnosis), and he employed a voice-trainer who had studied mesmerism. • By the time Hitler started to rant and rave, the crowd was ready for it. His listeners had been led through the movements of an oral symphony and this was the final rich climax that would inspire them into action. Audience Manipulation

9. Once in power, Hitler has the resources of the state at his disposal. • He built impressive public domains, employed grand ritual, mythic symbolism, and displays of unity and power to boost the nation’s self-esteem and confidence and his own position as undisputed leader. His spectacular public appearances were orchestrated and his entrances carefully timed. • Hitler was a master of self-presentation and audience manipulation. Far from being the spittle-flinging loony preserved on film. Hitler was a clinical strategist who used a range of devices, including his carefully designed speeches to woo his audiences and intimidate his enemies. The Speeches of Hitler a Fuhrer

10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWUSHhICnCw

11. Do you think politicians admire and look up to Hitler's as an orator? Learning activity