In the works of the author, Takumi Sato, who has been changed from a
German modern history scholar to a media historian, the concept of “Mass” has
crucial importance. This paper examines the role of the active masses who supported
the Nazi regime, collating the arguments of George L. Mosse, The
nationalization of the masses; political symbolism and mass movements in Germany
from the Napoleonic wars through the Third Reich (1975=1994) and
Takumi Sato, The Fascist Public Sphere; Media Studies of Total War (2018).
The Nazi regime did not succeed due to manipulation of the masses through
propaganda, but was instead supported by voluntary movements by the masses
for national consensus building. From this viewpoint, the framework of media
studies on the fascist movements should be changed from “Nazi propaganda” to
“Nazi public relations.” As an outstanding analysis during the time of Nazi propaganda,
Serge Chakotin, The Rape of the Masses; The Psychology of Totalitarian
Political Propaganda (1939) can be reread. In recent years, the book has
been republished and translated around the world, including an edition in Japanese(
2019). What does the revival of this book mean? It shows that the bullet
effect theory functions as an excuse for the active masses who take part in the
political public sphere. Theoretically, the bullet effect theory was denied in the
1950s by the limited effect theory. However, it is thought that its popularity has
not abated because of the support by the nationalized masses in the information
society.
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