On his radio show today Glenn Beck continued his jihad against intelligence by saying, “The Nazis learned their propaganda from the progressive movement in the United States.” Here is another source for Glenn. Adolph Hitler wrote in Mein Kamph that the Nazis learned the value of propaganda from the British during World War I.
Here is the audio courtesy of Media Matters:
Beck said, “This is something that Woodrow Wilson. The Nazis, the Nazis learned their propaganda from the progressive movement in the United States. Go ahead, blogs right now tear it apart, and then go and read Josef Goebbels diaries, that’s the source, so I know it’s hard, I know it’s really, really hard to claim that, well there are no sources, except the guy who was the main guy for propaganda for Nazi Germany. They learned it from the progressives in America, Woodrow Wilson.”
Since Glenn invited people like me to tear this apart, let’s take a look. In Mein Kamph, Hitler devoted two chapters to use of propaganda. He blamed the German defeat in World War I partially on British propaganda. He went on to adopt many of the British techniques, especially in terms of literature, press, and film for the Nazi movement.
In a speech on propaganda in 1934, Goebbels listed those he viewed as propagandists, “ If the fine gentlemen say: “You are only a propagandist,” the answer is this: “Was Christ any different? Did he not make propaganda? Did he write books, or did he preach? Was Mohammed any different? Did he write learned essays, or did he go to the people and say what he wanted to say? Were not Buddha and Zarathustra propagandists?”
He continued, “True, the philosophers of the French Revolution built their intellectual foundations. But who got things moving? Robespierre, Danton, and the others. Did these men write books, or did they speak in popular meetings? Look around today. Is Mussolini more an author or a great speaker? When Lenin took the train from Zurich to Petersburg, did he repair to his study and write a book, or did he speak to thousands? Fascism and Bolshevism were built by great speakers, by masters of the spoken word! There is no difference between the politician and the speaker. History proves that great politicians were always great speakers: Napoleon, Caesar, Alexander, Mussolini, Lenin, name whomever you want. They were all great speakers and great organizers. If a person combines rhetorical talent, organizational ability, and philosophical ability, if he has the ability to transmit knowledge and to gather people under his banner, then he is a brilliant statesman.”
Beck has taken a right wing talking point, Wilson was a liberal fascist, and tried to tie it to the Nazis and progressives of today. Unfortunately, as with most of Glenn Beck’s claims, this doesn’t hold up under closer examination. The Nazis did not learn many of their propaganda techniques from American progressives, but from the British. Every time Glenn Beck speaks the world gets a little dumber.
Keep on Sucking the cool aide, November won’t come soon enough, As this is a Progressive Site we are so informed we know Hitler was also a Great Community Organizer, Anti(CITIZEN) Gun, Road Builder,”Shovel Ready”-Kennedy someone had to one Dug the Grave, Government controlled AUTO Industry,Banks, Universal Healthcare, The greatest Difference was Hitler loved Gas, to give him his Jews, perhaps Coal was not as Available to fire up the OVENS.
As Promised at least Pres BHO has closed Camp Gitmo, Stopped Sending more troops to Afghanistan, will try the 911 Master mind in NY, Won the Iraqi war(even though he and Joe opposed the WAR WINNING SURGE), stopped the Spending??, increased transparency, ceased pork spending.???His wife has started a Move on Food Program for people who live further than 10 miles from a Grocery Store that sells Lettuce. Perhaps She Should do as her Ancestors did when they were sold into Slavery by BLACK MUSLIMS to the USA and leave the Desert, how ironic she calls the place where the Poor Fools that live there on the Taxpayers Dime a “FOOD DESSERT” as the late and GREAT Sam Kenison once said if you live in a desert full of SAND you Should MOVE. Keep on sucking the tailpipe liberals. Who Knew MLK was a Republican, the KKK was founded by Demorats, the Twenties Roared due to Low Taxes, and More Idiots in the USA Believe Elvis is Alive than our Government is doing its elected work? Am I the only commentator or is this going the way of Air America and on the verge of Bankruptcy??
@Dont tread on me, Ok where do I begin?Anyone who becomes a prominant leader of a large group of people could rightly be called a community organizer. I suppose that you are saying that Barack Obama is not Qualified to be the President or worse yet that he compares with Hitler because he was a community organizer. If you are saying that the President has any historical parallels with Hitler then you are either ignorant of history, or your just ignoring history. One thing that Hitler may have in common with Barrack Obama by the end of his term is that he inherated a really bad economy from the previous leader and turned Germany into one of the most thriving economies in history!
The government does not control the auto industry as you claim. Instead because of the bailout GM has turned a massive profit for last quarter and paid back ALL of its bailout money with interest. The banks have paid back most of the bailout and tarp money with interest as well. You may disagree with the bailout but, if you had been smart enough to have money invested or a 401k that was fixing to be lost because of a collapsing economy you might be whistling a different tune. Roads have been built and repaired under every President.Wish I had more space!
Beck did not say he learned it ALL from us. Hitler was not Goebbels. Why are you talking about Hitler’s Mein Kampf. Goebbels was the minister of propaganda.
Maybe a little help is in order for the koolaid drinkers. Edward Bernays and Walter Lippman were progressive elitist liberals that advised and acted as propaganda agents for Woodrow Wilson. Bernays’s book ‘Crystallizing Public Opinion’ was used by Wilson here, and by the Nazis in their campaign against the Jews. As admitted by Bernays in his own biography. They also helped Wilson dupe the American public and sway public opinion in to entering WWI. And it gets worse, it can easily be argued that they are responsible for the leftist skewed mainstream media we all get to enjoy on a daily basis. But then again, why should we let the truth get in the way of progressive propaganda, they are mutually exclusive you know.
@A Hint, Amazing! So what you are saying is that Bernays wrote his book to help the Germans win the war? First since Hitler failed in his quest it must not have worked that well. Second would it suprise you to know that Hitler used many books in his conquest to conquer the world, including the bible?
Before you decide to twist the facts to suit you maybe you should stop listening to Glenn Becks version of the truth and read the history of what your talking about a little further. That is if you even care. After all I doubt God inspired the Bible to help Hitler kill a million of his chosen people do you?
The first 2 replies prove the original assertion.
Anonymous corrected sources as if that changes anything.
Oldsun corrects spelling and then says
“I have read Goebbels and he never said propaganda came from the US or President Wilson”…….um…..duh.
Regardless of the cross-pollination of The Art of War and Machiavellian ideas you’ve grasped the point:
Glenn Beck is wrong.
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Lets put this thing to rest.
1) Beck pointed out that the Wilson administration created the “Committee on Public Information” in 1917 and Edward Bernays (a Wilson advisor) helped crank out a very successful propaganda machine working as a part of that comittee. OK we can all agree that this is fact, if you do not accept this I challenge you to prove otherwise.
2) In Bernays own autobiography he states:
“Karl von Weigand, foreign correspondent of the Hearst newspapers, an old hand at interpreting Europe and just returned from Germany, was telling us about Goebbels and his propaganda plans to consolidate Nazi power. Goebbels had shown Weigand his propaganda library, the best Weigand had ever seen. Goebbels, said Weigand, was using my book Crystallizing Public Opinion as a basis for his destructive campaign against the Jews of Germany.” OK we can all agree that this is fact, if you do not I challenge you.
Now, Beck uses the above as evidence that Goebbels was influenced by Bernays (Wilson administration advisor) and his book “Crystallizing Public Opinion” for his propaganda machine – not exacty a stretch so far and a logical conclusion if you know how to read.
Now Beck takes this a step further with his overall conculusion that the Wilson administration taught the Nazis how to create propaganda. This could be overstating things and is Beck’s opinion here. However, his opinion is based on facts. A least Beck acutally uses original sources such as the Bernays quote to make his argument – he is not making his case with his own “right wing” babble. For anyone to challenge Beck they would need some of their own “evidence” aside from their own personal ideological opinion and general crappy comments. The point is you cannot win here progressives and defend your hero Wilson without some hard evidence and I wish all of you good luck with that one.
Sam Adam says:
“For anyone to challenge Beck they would need some of their own “evidence” aside from their own personal ideological opinion and general crappy comments.”
You’ll find that the liberals here rarely post anything to substantiate their allegations.
Perhaps Beck was utilizing Edward Bernays own autobiography, The Biography of an Idea: Memoirs of Public Relations Counsel Edward L. Bernays (1965), as his source? Bernays stated that Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels had used Bernays’ book Crystallizing Public Opinion in a deliberate and planned campaign to manipulate the German public against the Jews. Bernays admits that this fact shocked him.
As Don’t Tread on Me stated, keep sucking on the kool-aide, November is coming. We will remember in November!
Interesting, you would think that a propagandist site like this would know there is video to clarify Beck’s real position and yet you continue to distort the facts. You can not win an argument you fabricate.
Your analysis breaks do at the point that you ignored what Glenn said and sourced. Glenn Said read Josef Goebbels diaries not some speech he made.
Run along now. Go look it up and retract your statement.
First it’s Joseph not Josef next, which iteration of the diaries was Beck reading from, I have read Goebbels and he never said propaganda came from the US or President Wilson, he always commented on how well the British used propaganda in WWI so much like Beck you are made of fail and AIDs.
When you correct people (and especially when you’re wrong, as you are in this case), it would behoove you to learn the English language.
“your analysis breaks do at the point…”
What you MEANT to say is “Your analysis breaks due to the point”
See? Do is a verb. Due is an adjective, meaning “capable of being attributed”. Now, please, DO go on about how you have “read” “Josef (incorrectly spelled) Goebbels” (you should have written: Goebbels’) diaries. Really. In the original German, perhaps?
“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly – it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over” ~~Joseph Goebbels
You good little soldier you.
Verstehen Sie?
ummmmm…..still wondering how to find the diary………………..right?
the diary? Hitler’s, or Goebels,anonymous?
Presumably you understand the reference, to Rupert Murdoch and the faked Hitler diaries?
Nothing that Beck says, no matter how stupid, surprises me anymore. It wouldn’t even surprise me to see Beck quoting the faked Hitler diaries on Fox News, representing them as authentic — because Beck can’t be bothered to check out any of his sources for valdity.
@SJones, When you correct people (and especially when you’re wrong, as you are in this case), it would behoove you to use some common sense and intelligence in telling people what they meant to say.
It is pretty obvious, if you had thought about it and not jumped the gun in trying to make the above poster look stupid, that he meant to say “Your analysis breaks down at the point.” This is the only sensible way to correct the above poster, because it is not very logical to assume that he both used the wrong spelling of “due” AND used “at” when he meant to us “to,” as you claim. So it is much more sensible to think that he either failed to type the “wn” in “down,” or that it got erased somehow before he posted his comment.
As you say, “You good little soldier you.” There are few better ways to discredit someone than to make out that they don’t have a good command of the English language, regardless of whether this is true or not. You don’t like what the person said, so you leap to the conclusion that he doesn’t know the difference between “do” and “due,” rather than pausing to consider it could have been a mere typo.
As for the question of whether Glenn Beck was wrong, I am not sure. There is such an insane smear campaign going on against him, however, that I will take nothing for granted when it comes to people fact checking him. I have great respect for Glenn Beck, because he refuses to back down in the face of a smear campaign that may even be worse than the tactics used against Palin, who I don’t particularly like as a politician, but who deserves some measure of civility simply because she is a fellow human being.
Oldsun,
What a stupid comment. Type Josef Goebbels in Google and see what you get. Then type Joseph Goebbles and see what you get. Have you heard of the German language? It’s the same name. Duh!
Oldsun says: “you are made of fail and AIDs.”
How absolutely disgusting and pathetic! You are a perfect example of a liberal