Maybe You Need Enlightenment

 Because of economic events (Wall Street) and the collapse of the German government....the Germans had to run a out-of-cycle election in September of 1930.  Naturally, it had consequences.

The Nazis had a gain 15-points over the previous election, and were able to get 18-percent of the vote in this federal election. 

Roughly two years passed, and a 2nd out-of-cycle election had to occur (July 1932), where the Nazis were able to get 37-percent of the vote (note, it's high and number one, but not overwhelming).

Another out-of-cycle election had to occur in November of 1932, and this time....the Nazis lost roughly 4-percent off the summer vote.  In simple terms....the thrills were evaporating with Hitler and the party.

It was decided shortly after this....to create the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda).  The short term?   RMVP.  Most people came to call it the Propganda bureau after this....but officially on the books, until the end of the war.....it was 'public enlightenment'. 

You can laugh about the title, but it was pretty serious business.

The spectrum?  Well....movies, art, literature, newspapers, plays, musicals, just plain regular music, and radio fell into the responsibility.  If TV had existed....it also would have fallen into this.

It was fully in place and functioning by the end of 1933.  

The November 1933 out-of-cycle election?  Well....it was one party listed on the ballot....thanks to enlightenment.

When people talk about propaganda or misinformation or content moderation....they aren't really talking about Facebook or Twitter.  At some point, you have to start talking about musical lyrics, books sold, movie scripts, and newspapers.  

Few people realize it but as the war continued in the 1940s....the content in newspapers became a problem.  At some point, it reached a level where a sixteen page normal newspaper had shrunk down to four pages, and in the las month or two of the war.....if papers were printed.....they were no more than one single page.  

Once a government creates a propaganda bureau or an enlightenment division....it's kinda like herding cows, and things will proceed down a certain path.