In the 21st century, should Nazi propaganda films still be banned?
When humans are banned from something, they give it power. When we are told we can’t have something, we want it even more. The unreachable becomes more desired, no matter what it stands for. These facts ring true in the world of Propaganda. The Nazi films that were produced are indeed disheartening and immoral—but that is exactly why they should not be forgotten.
Nazi activity is a part of history that I wish never occurred. But unfortunately it did, and out of respect for the people who lost their lives—the brutality of the Nazi party should never be swept under the rug nor forgotten. I can understand that these films are disturbing and shed light on a dark time in history. But these films are first hand, original examples that we can learn from. They are a piece of history that we should recognize in order to show the severity of the effects the Nazi party had on the Jewish people.
On July 19th 1940, Adolf Hitler gave a speech titled “The Last Appeal to Reason.” The opening lines read: “ I have summoned you to this meeting in the midst of our tremendous struggle for the freedom and the future of the German nation. I have done so, firstly, because I considered it imperative to give our own people an insight into the events, unique in history, that lie behind us, secondly, because I wished to express my gratitude to our magnificent soldiers, and thirdly, with the intention of appealing, once more and for the last time, to common sense in general.” (pg.98 Welch)
Within these words we see manipulation, fallacies, misconstruction and delusion that we should never forget in order to see that Hilter and the Nazi party forever be remembered as immoral and unpardonable.