4. Hitler's Aerial Campaign and the November Defeat. Tim Ryback discusses how ahead of the November 6th election, Hitler campaigned intensively using an airplane—a strategy known as Hitler Über Deutschland—to circumvent media bans and reach "heartland Germany" multiple times a day. His campaign targeted Alfred Hugenberg, a consequential media magnate who controlled 4,600 newspapers and had the power to "make or break Hitler." Hitler's successful rhetoric, while sometimes relying on "empty language," worked because Germans were economically desperate, suffering post-1929, and feared the Bolshevik threat. Despite these efforts, the election resulted in a "stunning defeat" on November 6th, as Hitler lost 2 million votes and was considered politically "washed up."
1933
View all episodes
