Advocating for Ableist Practices: nNazi Propaganda against the Disabled between 1933-1941

This paper looks at the major themes and evolution of Nazi Germany’s propaganda campaign against people with various disabilities. The perspective of people concerning the disabled altered based on time and location. However, most had more negative imaginings of the disabled. For the Nazi’s, this was doubly true. Germany had prior campaigns against the disabled, however they would take it to another level during the Third Reich. Propaganda resolved around differing societal issues which offered various justifications for persecution of the disabled. Most tailored toward issues more practical to the average German citizen. Financial concerns, ethical questions, and calls for a better society were all argued in these propaganda pieces. Evolution was the prevailing concept that the Nazi Government pushed. For them, the implementation of these ideals was critical for reasons of nature and Germany’s progression. However, they included text which portrayed the disabled’s death or sterilization as a sacrifice they were doing for the betterment of the German nation. The Nazis ultimately got their desired outcome, many disabled German citizens were killed or sterilized.