Name:
Date:
Nazi Propaganda Posters
Directions: ​Examine the ten posters from Nazi Germany used to popularize the beliefs of the Nazi
Party and spread hate for the Jews.
Part 1: Inferring Meaning
Even though we do not speak German, we can still use context clues to gather the meanings from the
posters. Look at the translations listed below and match each to the correct poster number.
_____ Support the assistance program for
mothers and children.
_____ Behind our enemies – the Jews.
_____ Hitler is building. Help him. Buy German
goods.
_____ The seed of peace, not dragon's teeth.
_____ The Jew: The inciter of war, the prolonger
of war.
_____ & _____ (2 posters) The Eternal Jew.
_____ You are sharing the load! A hereditarily ill
person costs 50,000 Reichsmarks on average up
to the age of sixty.
_____ Before: Unemployment, hopelessness,
desolation, strikes, lockouts. Today: Work, joy,
discipline, camaraderie. Give the Führer your
vote!
_____ Hitler (for) a Greater Germany.
Part II: Identifying Patterns
1.​ ​The German People:​ Which posters are of German people? ____________________________
What do all of the people, especially the men have in common? ___________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What do these posters show about what was important to Germans? ______________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2.​ ​The Jewish People:​ Which posters are of Jews? _______________________________________
What do all of these depictions of the Jews have in common? _____________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What do these posters show about how Germans felt about the Jews? _____________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Part III: Symbols
1. Nazi Symbols: ​In which posters does the Nazi symbol, the swastika, appear? ___________
________________________________________________________________________________
The swastika was used by many cultures throughout the past 3,000 years to represent life, sun,
power, strength, and good luck. In the mid 1800s, Germans began to use the swastika, because it
had ancient Aryan/Indian origins, to represent a long Germanic/Aryan history.
Why would Hitler choose to make the swastika a part of the flag for the Nazi Party in 1920?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. ​Color Symbolism – Red: The color red can symbolize excitement, energy, passion, love, desire,
speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, and violence.
What does the color red mean as it is used in poster #4? __________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Why would Hitler choose the color red as the background for the swastika? (see poster #5 and #9)
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
3. Color Symbolism – Yellow: ​The color ​yellow can symbolize happiness, optimism, imagination,
hope, friendship, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, betrayal, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy,
greed, deceit, and illness.
What does the color yellow mean as it is used in posters #7 and #10? _____________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Poster #7 was used to advertise an exhibit, which attracted 412,300 visitors. Poster #10 was used to
advertise a “documentary,” which was viewed by over 1 million Germans.
What do you think was the message of the exhibit and the film? ___________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Based on the number of people that saw these, was this message popular? Why?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. Enemies of Germany: ​The Allied forces, made up of the United States, Great Britain (England),
and Russia, fought against Germany during WWII. What symbols are used to represent the
Germany’s enemies in poster #1? _____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
This symbol, seen in poster #1, is used to represent Communist Russia. In
Communism everyone is equal; in contrast, the Nazi Party wanted to keep the wealthy
in power. What other poster includes this symbol? _____________________________
Why would the Nazi Party want to connect Germans’ hate of Jews to Communist
Russia? _________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________