The Nazi Party developed a sophisticated propaganda machine that deftly spread lies about its political opponents, Jews and the need for war. But Nazi propaganda was much more complex than that. For the Nazis to achieve power and pursue their racial policies and expansionist war efforts, a much more nuanced picture had to be painted—one that would appeal to broad swaths of the population, not just a fanatical extreme. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum‘s groundbreaking exhibition, State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda, shows how the Nazis employed propaganda to acquire power and help pave the way for war while creating a climate of hatred, suspicion and, most importantly, indifference that facilitated the elimination from society of Jews and others deemed undesirable by the Nazi state.

"We often assume that the Nazis sold exclusively hate," says Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield.  In reality, they also promoted an agenda of freedom, unity and prosperity that many found alluring. The Nazis' keen understanding of mass communications and ability to exploit the Germans' hopes and fears offer lessons for us today as we live in a world of instantaneous communications and are targeted with more information than ever before.

State of Deception reveals how shortly after World War I, the Nazi Party began to transform itself from an obscure, extremist right-wing group into the largest political party in democratic Germany. Hitler early on recognized how propaganda, combined with the use of terror, could help his extremist party gain mass support and votes.

He personally adapted the ancient symbol of the swastika and the emotive colors of red, black and white to create the movement's flag. In doing so, Hitler established a potent visual identity that has branded the Nazi Party ever since.  "Adolf Hitler was an avid student of propaganda, who borrowed techniques from the Allies in World War I, his Socialist and Communist rivals, the Italian Fascist Party as well as modern advertising," says State of Deception curator Steven Luckert. Drawing upon these models, he successfully marketed the Nazi Party, its ideology, and himself to the German people.

After seizing power, the Nazi Party took over all communications in Germany. It marshaled the state's resources to consolidate power and relentlessly promote its vision of racially pure, utopian Germany that needed to defend itself from those who would destroy it. Jews were cast as the primary enemies, but others, including Roma, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses and the mentally and physically handicapped, were also portrayed as threats to the national community.

As Germany pushed the world into war, Nazi propaganda rationalized Germany's territorial Jews were depicted as agents of disease and corruption. The Nazis' actions against them, in Germany and occupied countries, were promoted as necessary measures to protect the population at large.