Nazi Propaganda Posters: Controlling Minds Through Lines And Color

Published July 27, 2016
Updated November 7, 2023

These Nazi propaganda posters are as repugnant in their message as they are impressive in their artistic craftsmanship.

In order to control a population, you must first control the population’s minds. Adolf Hitler knew this well — and knew that propaganda was a politically expedient instrument to impose anti-Semitism onto the German populace. As he wrote in Mein Kampf, “Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea.”

As they conducted evil science experiments, the Nazi Party utilized highly artistic — sometimes even beautiful — posters to promote ideas of hatred and fear of the Other, and allow them to “ripen” in the minds of young army recruits and civilians. While old in a physical sense, these Nazi propaganda posters remind us that the most insidious movements often cloak their ugliness in beauty:


After seeing these Nazi propaganda posters, read about the four most devastating moments of the Nazi occupation. Then, find out what Nazi research has contributed to medical science.

author
Elisabeth Sherman
author
Elisabeth Sherman is a writer living in Jersey City, New Jersey. She holds a Master's in writing from Columbia University, and her work has appeared in Food & Wine, The Guardian, Yahoo, BBC, HuffPost, VICE, MSN, and Vulture.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
Based in Brooklyn, New York, John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of expertise include modern American history and the ancient Near East. In an editing career spanning 17 years, he previously served as managing editor of Elmore Magazine in New York City for seven years.
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Sherman, Elisabeth. "Nazi Propaganda Posters: Controlling Minds Through Lines And Color." AllThatsInteresting.com, July 27, 2016, https://allthatsinteresting.com/nazi-propaganda-posters. Accessed August 13, 2025.