"The Führer Has A Secret Weapon"

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

Hope, in many ways, is the most powerful drug of all. A leader that can give hope to people unlocks their tolerance for pain so much more can be asked of them.

Hitler knew that.

Referencing Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda #16, “Propaganda must diminish anxiety (other than that concerning the consequences of defeat) which is too high and which cannot be reduced by people themselves.” You know, by watching your towns and cities get bombed.

A specific promise was made to the German people that the Nazis had a secret weapon that would win the war for Germany. Part of this Principle is that fear is an important part of messaging, but it has to be managed by infusing hope into the public’s mind. That’s what this promise did. Of course, they were talking about the atom bomb. The Nazi never succeeded in developing one because they either killed or imprisoned all the Jewish scientists in that particular scientific field.

Hand in glove with this mes…