The Propaganda Preparations for Nazi Aggression Against the USSR and German Public Sentiment in June 1941

The question of why Nazi propaganda was so effective in securing widespread German support for the invasion of the Soviet Union has remained a central issue in Second World War historiography for decades. This article critically examines the prevailing domestic and international historiographical perspectives that attribute this success to the early and persistent introduction of colonisation narratives and the racial inferiority of Slavic peoples – concepts advanced by Hitler in “Mein Kampf” – into the German mass consciousness. By analysing public Nazi anti-Soviet propaganda materials, as well as Hitler’s and Goebbels’ classified directives on its implementation, this study seeks to determine the extent to which wartime propaganda aligned with Hitler’s racial and geopolitical doctrine and Germany’s actual strategic objectives. The findings suggest that the German leadership deliberately refrained from employing racial and colonial rhetoric to legitimise the attack on the USSR, instead advancing the narrative of a “preventive” and thus “just” war. Moreover, Nazi aggression was not widely perceived by the German public as a realisation of Hitler’s plans for the conquest of “Eastern space”. These conclusions contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and effectiveness of Nazi propaganda in mobilising German society for total war.