The Nazis' Nuremberg Rallies

Book excerpt: “An amazing collection of original photographs and postcards relating to the Nuremberg rallies of the Nazis . . . the book is dazzling.” —War History Online This book describes the background to and the development of the Nazi Party Rallies held at Nuremberg each September from 1933 to 1939. These Reichsparteitage (National Party Days) were vast and meticulously staged managed extravaganzas in which ritual and ceremony played an important part. The Rallies had two key objectives. The first was to focus public attention on the successes of the Nazi Party and connect with the public conscience and build a close bond between Party and people. Even more important was the Rallies’ role in presenting Adolf Hitler as the savior of the German nation sent to restore national pride, power and prosperity after the shame and economic disaster of the post war years and the deeply resented Versailles Treaty. The Hitler Cult was blatantly promoted with revolutionary use of propaganda by the latest technology and iron control of the media. The author’s superb collection of postcards and images takes the reader on a visual journey through each year’s Reichsparteitage. The Nazis’ Nuremberg Rallies, which also includes character studies of the principal Nazi figures, is a truly fascinating way to understand this uniquely successful and threatening phenomena. “Excellent . . . The book really does bring each and every rally to life, the book also has some rare photos that I haven’t seen before and it also displays posters and postcards designed for the events. So you get to see the propaganda on multiple levels.” —UK Historian