How Radio Killed Democracy - Death of Democracy 09 - Q1 1935

28th March 2026 16 mins Season 9 Episode 9

Radio did not just spread Nazi propaganda — it helped make dictatorship feel normal. This episode of Death of Democracy follows the decisive first quarter of 1935: the Saar vote, Göring’s admission of the Luftwaffe, Hitler’s open defiance of Versailles, and the growing power of the Gestapo. While Nazi propaganda promised pride, unity, and national revival, civil liberties were collapsing, Jews were being isolated, and Germany was being prepared for war. How did propaganda become so effective? How did radio help turn fear, resentment, and nationalism into obedience? And how did so many people support a regime that was already dismantling the rule of law? This is the story of how radio helped kill democracy in Nazi Germany.

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Season 9 · Episode 10

How To Distract From the Economy - Q2 1935

June 1935: Adolf Hitler reassures the world with promises of peace - while secretly accelerating Germany’s path to war. in this episode of Death of Democracy, we examine how Hitler manipulated international diplomacy and domestic opinion in the second quarter of 1935. From the collapse of the Stresa Front to the signing of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, foreign leaders were drawn into a dangerous illusion. Meanwhile, inside Germany, antisemitic violence escalated, press censorship intensified under Joseph Goebbels, and economic realities worsened under Hjalmar Schacht’s policies. Drawing on firsthand accounts from William L. Shirer and Victor Klemperer, this episode reveals a society caught between fear, propaganda, and growing dictatorship. How did Hitler convince both his people and world leaders that he wanted peace - while preparing for war?

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