The Propaganda of Dachau

Touring Dachau was a really sobering event. I had learned about concentration camps during school, but actually setting foot in on of them really puts the events that happened into perspective. While the systematic killings that took place are truly horrific, the German use of propaganda to legitimize the camps was really frightening. As our tour guide explained to us how the Nazi regime advertised the camp as a way to keep unwanted criminals out of the general public and to help keep Germany safe from foreign and internal enemies. The opening of the camp was even announced in the newspaper and an opening ceremony was even held. This fact came as a complete surprise to me, as I had always thought the camps were kept a secret from the German people and the world. 

The way in which the camp was setup was even surprising, had I no idea this was a concentration camp I would have thought it to be sort of beautiful with its long road down the center of the camp lined with trees. But in reality this look that the camp has is all meant for use in propaganda to show the world how well prisoners at the camp were treated and taken care of. This is a truly chilling twist of propaganda. The tour guide explained to us that the propaganda was so masterful that the truth was even obscured even after the full details of what took place in the camp came to light. 

Overall, I was truly in awe of the German propaganda and how effective it was. It really makes me wonder what a government is capable of when used for malicious purposes. It also is a reminder that a people in a democratic country must always be vigilant and educated on what a government can do. This makes me a little paranoid about what my own government is doing and how much we as people know about it.