Jacques Lois David And Joseph Goebbels example essay topic

"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never again escape from it" (Goebbels). Both Jacques-Lois David and Joseph Goebbels were aspiring men who rose above the standards that were set for them and utilized their own individual talent in order to sway people's opinions to match their own. They both possessed extraordinary talent and ideas for their time, where Jacques-Lois David was an artist who mastered in the neoclassical style of painting and used his art work as a form of propaganda to represent a biased view from a revolutionary on occurring events; where as Joseph Goebbels had superb journal ing abilities and dominated the media in Russia. Jacques-Lois David was an exquisite artist of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century who had a well educated background in the field of painting. After the tragic death of his father, Jacques-Lois David went to live with his uncle Francois Bur on.

From here David went to study at Academie Royales, in Italy, and was taught by J. M Vein who was a master of the Rococo style. After four years of attending Academie Royales David won the internationally recognized Prix de Rome with his work of Antiochus and Strato nice. David returned to Paris, after spending five years in Italy drawing antique models, to open his own studio where he taught and took on commissioned portraits. Jacques-Lois David was already beginning to set a fashionable trend with his style of paint by centering his work on the splendor of personal suffering and creating a story with each painting.

At the age of twenty six David commissioned a portrait of the King based on the story of Livy, where in early Rome three brothers took an oath to conquer despite any personal feelings, which lead to his international fame and recognition. Although he began his career with commissions, he soon became involved with new powers of the revolution in France. Jacques-Lois David was the propaganda minister of the French revolution and it was said that he was "a man who could turn an unruly mob, ready to kill for a loaf of bread, into a tearful patriots willing to die for a cause" (Unknown). During the French revolution art was used as a means of political propaganda, especially by David, because the art would speak in support of the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity for the revolution. David was an eager supporter of the revolution and soon became a member of the Jacobin club in 1789 and then into a higher status of power as Deputy of the convention in 1792.

As the Deputy of the convention he voted alongside Robespierre and other members on the left radical regime for the execution of Lois XVI and Maria Antoinette. One of Jacques-Lois David's most famous paintings was of the assignation of Jean-Paul Marat after he had been stabbed in the bath, The Death of Marat. He quickly became a benefactor for Robespierre and as Robespierre fell from power and was overthrown, David was arrested and sent to prison, only to be released by a plea made by his wife. After his imprisonment his political career came to an end but his artistic career continued where he went on to paint the well-known The Intervention of the Sabine Women.

Jacques-Lois David was an aspiring artist who, through his life, not only portrayed the changing political spectrum but also his own art ic development. Joseph Goebbels is a name that has been firmly associated with the term propaganda or the ability to conjure up lies. Goebbels was born in Rheydt, just outside of Rhineland, with a disabled club foot. This disability prevented him from being able to volunteer for the military service at the beginning of World War I, forcing him to pursue his academic studies.

Goebbels graduated from the University of Heidelberg with a PhD. in German literature. He was able to find a job as a journalist but began to be inspired by the political uprisings and joined Adolf Hitler's infant NSAP party in 1924. Not soon after he was appointed to District Minister of the party where he played a large role in presenting the Nazis' principles to the German people in a favorable manner to help the Nazis' achieve power. As Hitler exceeded in power, he created a National Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda for Goebbels, along with making him the president of the Reich Chamber of Culture. This ultimately gave Goebbels complete power over Germany's radio, film, publications, theatre, music, and visual arts which he manipulated to only produce works which glorified Hitler and the Nazi ideologies. Goebbels' technique was to repeat a lie until it was taken to be the truth or as Goebbels' once said, "If you tell a lie, tell a big one".

Without the help of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler would not have been able to accomplish all that he did while he was in power because Goebbels was the one who won the support of the people of Germany to accept and believe in the Nazis ideologies. However, shortly after Hitler committed suicide, so did Joseph Goebbels, his wife, and six children. Both of these men played a significant role in leading to the political changes of their time. Whether it was through painting or journalism, their talents exceeded those of everyone around them, allowing them to rise to power alongside their idols.

They both were revolutionists on the left side of the spectrum and strove for a political change in their societies. Propaganda is said to be a one-sided opinion that is designed to persuade a population into believing it and that is exactly what Jacques-Lois David and Joseph Goebbels did in order to gain power.