Reichspropagandaleitung

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Reichspropagandaleitung (RPL)
Formation30 June 1926
Type Nazi Party propaganda office
Headquarters Munich, later Berlin
Reichspropagandaleiter
 Gregor Strasser (1926–1928)
Adolf Hitler (interim)
Joseph Goebbels (1930–1945)
Parent organization
 NSDAP

The Reichspropagandaleitung or the RPL (in English: Reich Propaganda Directorate) was the central propaganda office of the NSDAP from 1926 to 1945, responsible for press, film, radio, and "Volksbildung" (people's education). Though closely linked to the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (RMVP) after 1933, it remained a distinct party organ focused on internal Nazi party propaganda.

Contents

Functions

The Reichspropagandaleiter (Reich Propaganda Leader) oversaw, coordinated, and standardized propaganda efforts across the NSDAP, its subsidiary organizations (e.g., SA, Hitler Youth), and affiliated associations. Key responsibilities included:

History and structure

The RPL was established on June 30, 1926 after the NSDAP’s refoundation.

Key leaders included:

The RPL operated through a hierarchical structure:

By 1941, it was reorganized into six departments:

  1. Propaganda
  2. Radio (led by August Staat)
  3. Organizational Coordination
  4. Film
  5. Reich Motorcade "Deutschland" Culture (led by Karl Cerff)
  6. Film Office

The Film Office (Act Film), led by Carl Neumann (1937–1941) and Arnold Raether, produced propaganda films and managed mobile cinema units. Notable works included:

The office deployed 300 film trucks and two specialized trains to screen propaganda in rural areas lacking cinemas.

Publications

The RPL oversaw the production of the Wochenspruch der NSDAP ("Weekly Quotation of the Nazi Party"), a wall newspaper published from 1937 to 1944. Approximately 1,100 issues were released, many distributed by the RPL or local Gau offices. [1] Each poster displayed quotations from Nazi leaders (e.g., Hitler, Goebbels) and historical figures like Beethoven, Clausewitz, and Schiller, aiming to align German cultural heritage with Nazi ideology. [2]

Dissolution

The RPL was dissolved by the Allied Control Council under Control Council Law No. 2 on October 10, 1945, which banned Nazi organizations and confiscated their assets. [3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Wochenspruch der NSDAP Index". Calvin University. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. ↑ Bösch, Frank (2013). Außenpolitik im Medienzeitalter (in German). Wallstein Verlag. p. 126. ISBN   978-3-8353-2476-3.
  3. ↑ Control Council Law No. 2. In: Official Gazette of the Control Council for Germany , No. 1 (29 October 1945), pp. 19 ff.
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