The emotional appeal of shared fantasies in Nazi propaganda: A psychoanalytic view

This paper explores the emotional appeal of Nazi propaganda from a psychoanalytic point of view. A shared ideological narrative connecting to unconscious fantasies within a large group psychology are utilized to explain this emotional appeal in the context of an intersubjective leader-audience relationship. A narrative of narcissistic revenge, apocalyptic battle, and utopian unity and purification are explored utilizing speeches of Hitler as examples of ideological transmission. Prophesizing the extermination of the Jews of Europe is understood as integral to the emotional appeal of Nazi propaganda.

Automated summary

This paper explores the emotional appeal of Nazi propaganda from a psychoanalytic perspective, explaining the emotional appeal in the context of a leader-audience relationship through a shared ideological narrative and unconscious fantasies within group psychology. The narrative of narcissistic revenge, apocalyptic battle, and utopian unity and purification, as well as the prophesizing of the extermination of European Jews, are examined as examples of ideological transmission that contribute to the emotional appeal of Nazi propaganda.