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.
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.
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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.
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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?
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Nick G. Reply:
March 10th, 2010 at 11:46 am
@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.
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ummmmm…..still wondering how to find the diary………………..right?
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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.
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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??
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