Das politische Ritual in den Propagandatexten des Dritten Reiches am Beispiel ausgewählter Reden von Adolf Hitler

Abstract

The political ritual in propagandist texts of the ‘Third Reich’ on the example of selected speeches by Adolf Hitler

Manipulation through language is often used by totalitarian regimes to bind and control their sub­jects. It works on many levels, as it may influence the thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of the language users. It is usually achieved due to a specific phrasal and structural uniformity of the language which becomes part of the political ritual. The language of the ‘Third Reich’ was a power­ful manipulation tool used by National Socialists. This article deals specifically with the description of the characteristic features of the political ritual in language. Adolf Hitler’s speeches have been analysed to illustrate the problem. The structural, pragmatic, stylistic, and informative aspects of the selected speeches have been discussed.