Editing Nuremberg rallies

{{Short description|Meeting place of the Nazi Party (1923–1938)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
[[File:Reichsparteitag NSDAP Nürnberg 1934-09 Hitler Himmler Lutze Luitpold Arena Blutfahne SS The New York Times G.m.b.H. Bild-Dienst Nazi Party Rally Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe 3 1 0 17 12272 33882 Public domain.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The {{lang|de|Totenehrung}}, or "Honoring of the Dead," at the 1934 Nuremberg Rally. [[Adolf Hitler]], [[Heinrich Himmler]], and [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] leader [[Viktor Lutze]] stand in front of the {{lang|de|Ehrenhalle}}, or "Hall of Honor."]]

The '''Nuremberg rallies''' ({{langx|de|Reichsparteitag}} {{pronunciation|De-Reichsparteitag.ogg|German pronunciation|(}}, meaning {{gloss|Reich Party Congress}}) were a series of celebratory events coordinated by the [[Nazi Party]] and held in the [[Nazi Germany|German]] city of [[Nuremberg]] from 1923 to 1938. The first nationwide party convention took place in [[Munich]] in January 1923, but the location was shifted to Nuremberg that September.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Nürnberg Rally |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Nurnberg-Rally |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250108193954/https://www.britannica.com/event/Nurnberg-Rally |archive-date=8 Jan 2025 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |language=en}}</ref> The rallies usually occurred in late August or September, lasting several days to a week.<ref name=":1" /> They played a central role in [[Nazi propaganda]], using mass parades, "military rituals," speeches, concerts, and varied [[stagecraft]] methods to project the image of a strong and united Germany [[Government of Nazi Germany|under Nazi leadership]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=The Nazi Party Rally as ritual |url=https://museums.nuernberg.de/documentation-center/nazi-party-rallies/nazi-party-rally-as-ritual |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250109062523/https://museums.nuernberg.de/documentation-center/nazi-party-rallies/nazi-party-rally-as-ritual |archive-date=9 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website= |publisher=The Nuremberg Municipal Museums: [[Documentation Center Nazi Party Rally Grounds]] |language=en}}</ref>

The rallies became a national event following [[Adolf Hitler's rise to power]] in 1933, and were thereafter held annually. Once the Nazi dictatorship was [[Gleichschaltung|firmly established]], party propagandists began filming the rallies for a national, and international, audience. Nazi filmmaker [[Leni Riefenstahl]] produced several films, including ''[[Triumph of the Will]]'' (1934) and ''[[The Victory of Faith]]'' (1933), at the [[Nazi Party Rally Grounds|rally grounds in Nuremberg]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Sinclair |first=Thornton |date=1938 |title=The Nazi Party Rally at Nuremberg |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2745103 |journal=[[Public Opinion Quarterly]] |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=570–583 |doi=10.1086/265232 |jstor=2745103 |issn=0033-362X}}</ref> The 1938 rally celebrated the ''[[Anschluss]]''—Germany's annexation of Austria—which occurred earlier that year.<ref name=":0" />

The planned 1939 rally was cancelled due to Germany's [[invasion of Poland]]. Scheduled to begin on 2 September, this rally was ironically called the {{lang|de|Reichsparteitag des Friedens}}, or "Rally of Peace."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rawson |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-USDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22Rally+of+Peace%22#v=onepage&q=%22Rally%20of%20Peace%22&f=false |title=Showcasing the Third Reich: The Nuremberg Rallies: The Nuremberg Rallies |date=2012 |publisher=[[The History Press]] |isbn=978-0-7524-8353-5 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Macdonald |first=Sharon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aqd8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA50&dq=%22Rally+of+Peace%22+rally&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwim0rbK5eaKAxVoEFkFHSgFNSsQ6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q=%22Rally%20of%20Peace%22%20rally&f=false |title=Difficult Heritage: Negotiating the Nazi Past in Nuremberg and Beyond |date=2010 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-134-11106-0 |location=London and New York |pages=50–51 |language=en}}</ref> The regime never held another rally, as Germany prioritized its efforts in the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref name=":2" /> By March 1940, construction at the rally grounds had "almost halted," although [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|prisoners of war continued work]] as late as 1943, being housed in barracks originally "erected for rally participants."<ref name=":2" />

== History and purpose ==
The first Nazi "Party Day" was held in 1920 by the "National Socialist German Workers' Association," the precursor of the [[Sturmabteilung|Brownshirts]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Hoffmann |first=Hilmar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfMhzPBwfD8C&pg=PA151&dq=%22Weimar+in+1926%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjF5s6E9-aKAxX3EmIAHTJiBVIQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=%22Weimar%20in%201926%22&f=false |title=The Triumph of Propaganda: Film and National Socialism, 1933-1945 |date=1996 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-57181-066-3 |pages=151–152 |language=en}}</ref> Early party rallies occurred in 1923 at [[Munich]], and in 1926 at [[Weimar]].<ref name=":3" /> At the 1926 rally, Hitler was able to hold "both the general parade as well as the consecration of the flags" at Weimar, where he spoke about the meaning of the [[Flag of Nazi Germany|Nazi flag]] as "some three hundred" of the banners were displayed on stage behind him.<ref name=":3" />

=== Political purpose ===
The rallies were not a "decision-making body," and Hitler did not allow their "[[Parliament|parliamentarization]]."<ref name=":3" /> Rather, their purpose was to "instill the [[Cult of personality|Hitler myth]] deeply into the hearts of the faithful," with "rituals," "fireworks," and "invocations surrounding the flag" all playing a part.<ref name=":3" /> Nuremberg was "designed from the start as a place for show and spectacle," and not for "debates" over the party's policy.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Cartwright |first=Mark |title=Nuremberg Rally |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Nuremberg_Rally/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250108223652/https://www.worldhistory.org/Nuremberg_Rally/ |archive-date=8 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=[[World History Encyclopedia]] |language=en}}</ref> Hitler himself declared that the rallies should be a "clear and understandable demonstration of the will and the [[Children's propaganda in Nazi Germany|youthful strength]]" of the party, while Propaganda Minister [[Joseph Goebbels]] said that the rallies changed a participant "from a little worm into part of a large dragon."<ref name=":7" />

From 1927 onward, party rallies took place exclusively in Nuremberg.<ref name=":5" /> The party chose Nuremberg because of its "rich history," as the "city had been the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|diet]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]" in the medieval era.<ref name=":7" /> The Nazis also began calling it "the most German of German cities."<ref name=":7" /> Diehard anti-Semite [[Julius Streicher]], who published the militant ''[[Der Stürmer]]'' newspaper, also led the [[Gau Franconia|Nuremberg regional party]], and the city had been a "hotbed of Nazi support" during the movement's rise to power.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Childers |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rA6zCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA313&dq=%22Julius%20Streicher%20was%20in%20command%22#v=onepage&q=%22Julius%20Streicher%20was%20in%20command%22&f=false |title=The Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany |date=2017 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-1-4516-5115-7 |location=New York |language=en}}</ref> Lastly, the Luitpoldhain park gave Nuremberg the "advantage of a large open space for mass gatherings."<ref name=":7" /> 

=== Content of rallies and architectural design ===
Hitler chose architect [[Albert Speer]] to improve the rally complex and, in the summer of 1933, Speer "reshaped Nuremberg" to make it "suitable for hosting what was now the party in power."<ref name=":7" /> In 1934, he enlarged the Zeppelin Field structures and built them in stone, specifically pink and white [[granite]].<ref name=":7" /> In Speer's own words, he designed a "mighty flight of stairs topped and enclosed by a long [[colonnade]], flanked on both ends by stone abutments. Undoubtedly it was influenced by the [[Pergamon Altar|Pergamum altar]]."<ref name=":7" /> Hitler agreed with Speer's plan, and the finished stadium had a capacity of hundreds of thousands of people.<ref name=":7" /> Speer also used lighting to highlight the architecture—and present Hitler in an impressive way—with "130 aircraft searchlights" arranged around and above the stadium.<ref name=":7" /> Speer's so-called "[[Cathedral of Light]]," or ''Lichtdom'', was a key feature of the event, and has been described as the "single most dramatic moment of the Nazi Party rallies."<ref name="kjc">[[Kathleen James-Chakraborty]], "The Drama of Illumination: Visions of Community from Wilhelmine to Nazi Germany", in Richard A. Etlin, ed., ''Art, Culture, and Media under the Third Reich'', 2002, {{ISBN|0226220877}}, p. 181</ref> The [[German searchlights of World War II|Flak Searchlight-34 and -37]] models used for the effect were developed in the 1930s, and had "an output of 990 million [[Candela|candelas]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=20 November 2013 |title=The Cathedral of Light of the Nazi rallies in rare pictures, 1937 |url=https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/nazi-rally-cathedral-light-c-1937/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250109214031/https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/nazi-rally-cathedral-light-c-1937/ |archive-date=9 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Rare Historical Photos |language=en-US}}</ref>

Rallies opened with [[Richard Wagner]]'s 1868 opera, ''[[Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg]]'', performed by the [[Berlin State Opera]], and ceremonies included a parade where district party flags were touched to the ''[[Blutfahne]]'', the flag used during the failed [[Beer Hall Putsch]] coup attempt of 1923.<ref name=":7" /> The rally ended with a speech from Hitler. Spotlights focused on the "place where Hitler entered the arena," and music played from "multiple bands, orchestras, and loudspeakers" as he approached the podium.<ref name=":7" /> Hitler's speeches at Nuremberg have been described, like his [[List of speeches given by Adolf Hitler|other speeches]], as "less about meaningful content and more about creating a dramatic impact using a mishmash of stereotypes, rhetorical devices, and emotionally-charged language."<ref name=":7" />

==== Nuremberg Laws ====
{{Main|Nuremberg Laws}}
During a special [[Reichstag (Nazi Germany)|Reichstag]] meeting at the 1935 Nuremberg rally, the German government enacted the [[Nuremberg Laws]], stripping [[History of the Jews in Germany|German Jews]] of their citizenship,<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=2025-01-07 |title=The Nuremberg Race Laws |url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/nuremberg-laws |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250110002837/https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/nuremberg-laws |archive-date=10 Jan 2025 |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=[[The National WWII Museum]] |language=en}}</ref> making the swastika banner the official national flag,<ref name="flag1935">{{cite web |date=15 September 1935 |title=Reichsflaggengesetz (Eines der drei "Nürnberger Gesetze") |trans-title=Reich Flag Law (One of the three "Nuremberg Laws") |url=http://www.documentarchiv.de/ns/1935/flaggen1935_ges.html |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=documentArchiv.de |language=de}}</ref> and banning "marriage and sexual relationships between Jews and non-Jews."<ref name=":9" /> The Nuremberg Laws have been described as the "most notorious" piece of [[Anti-Jewish legislation in pre-war Nazi Germany|anti-Semitic legislation]] enacted by Hitler's regime.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Szanajda |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uN5kLOUiZjMC&pg=PA11&dq=%22nuremberg+laws%22+%22+most+notorious%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiQ5ovXjOqKAxXAFFkFHUUWKIEQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=%22nuremberg%20laws%22%20%22%20most%20notorious%22&f=false |title=The Restoration of Justice in Postwar Hesse, 1945-1949 |date=2007 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]: Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-1870-2 |pages=11 |language=en}}</ref>

The Nuremberg Laws were based not on religion, but on race, being grounded on the idea that "racial identity" was "transmitted irrevocably through the blood" of Jewish ancestors.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=2024-12-20 |title=Nürnberg Laws |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nurnberg-Laws |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250110001113/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nurnberg-Laws |archive-date=10 Jan 2025 |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |language=en}}</ref> Personally designed by Hitler and proclaimed on 15 September 1935, the laws were "among the first of the racist Nazi laws that culminated in [[the Holocaust]]."<ref name=":10" />

==Rallies ==
[[File:Adolf Hitler saluting at Nuremberg rally.jpg|thumb|Adolf Hitler saluting at the crowd during the Nuremberg rally in September 1935.]]
Each rally was given a programmatic title, which related to recent national events:

* '''1923:''' The First Party Congress took place in Munich on 27 January 1923.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Reichsparteitage der NSDAP, 1923-1938 – Historisches Lexikon Bayerns |url=https://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/Lexikon/Reichsparteitage_der_NSDAP,_1923-1938 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240731193119/https://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/Lexikon/Reichsparteitage_der_NSDAP,_1923-1938 |archive-date=31 July 2024 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Rawson |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0-USDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Showcasing the Third Reich: The Nuremberg Rallies: The Nuremberg Rallies |date=2012 |publisher=[[The History Press]] |isbn=978-0-7524-8353-5 |language=en}}</ref>
* '''1923:''' The "German Day Rally" was held in Nuremberg, 1–2 September 1923.<ref name=":5" />
* '''1926:''' The 2nd Party Congress ("Refounding Congress") was held in Weimar, 3–4 July 1926.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />
* '''1927:''' The 3rd Party Congress ("Day of Awakening") was held in Nuremberg, 19–21 August 1927.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> The propaganda film {{lang|de|[[Eine Symphonie des Kampfwillens]]}} was made at this rally.
* '''1929:''' The 4th Party Congress, known as the "Day of Composure", was held in Nuremberg, 1–4 August 1929.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> The propaganda film {{lang|de|[[Der Nürnberger Parteitag der NSDAP]]}} was made at this rally.
* '''1933:''' The 5th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, 31 August – 3 September 1933.<ref name=":5" /> It was called the "Rally of Victory" ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag des Sieges}}). The term "victory" relates to the [[Machtergreifung|Nazi seizure of power]] and the victory over the [[Weimar Republic]]. The [[Leni Riefenstahl]] film {{lang|de|[[Der Sieg des Glaubens]]}} was made at this rally. Hitler announced that from then on all rallies would take place in Nuremberg.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Piper |first=Ernst |title=Der faule Nazi-Zauber von Nürnberg|trans-title=The lazy Nazi magic of Nuremberg |url=https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/ns-machtergreifung-1933-der-faule-nazi-zauber-von-nuernberg-a-947874.html |date=2008-08-30 |access-date=2023-09-21 |magazine=[[Der Spiegel]] |location=Hamburg |issn=2195-1349 |lang=de}}</ref>
* '''1934:''' The 6th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, 5–10 September 1934,<ref name=":5" /> which was attended by about 700,000 Nazi Party supporters. Initially it did not have a theme. Later it was labeled the "Rally of Unity and Strength"<ref name=":5" /> ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag der Einheit und Stärke}}),<ref name=":5" /> "Rally of Power"<ref name=":5" /> ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag der Macht}}), or "Rally of Will"<ref name=":5" /> ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag des Willens}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rawson |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qn9iBwAAQBAJ&pg=PT187&dq=%22Reichsparteitag+des+Willens%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0iPCkgueKAxWHF1kFHbfTHO4Q6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=%22Reichsparteitag%20des%20Willens%22&f=false |title=In Pursuit of Hitler: A Battlefield Guide to the Seventh (US) Army Drive |date=2008 |publisher=Pen & Sword Books |isbn=978-1-78159-970-9 |location=Barnsley, England |language=en}}</ref> The Leni Riefenstahl film ''[[Triumph of the Will|Triumph des Willens]]'' was made at this rally.<ref name="IMDB">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025913/ Triumph des Willens (1935)]</ref><ref name=":5" /> This rally was particularly notable due to [[Albert Speer]]'s [[Cathedral of light]]: 152 searchlights that cast vertical beams into the sky around the [[Nazi party rally grounds#Zeppelin Field|Zeppelin Field]] to symbolise the walls of a building.<ref>[http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/propaganda_in_nazi_germany.htm Propaganda in Nazi Germany]</ref>
* '''1935:''' The 7th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, 10–16 September 1935.<ref name=":5" /> It was called the "Rally of Freedom" ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag der Freiheit}}).<ref name=":4" /> "Freedom" referred to the reintroduction of compulsory military service and thus the German "liberation" from the [[Treaty of Versailles]]. Leni Riefenstahl made the film {{lang|de|[[Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht]]}} (''Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces'') at this rally, and the Nazis introduced the [[Nuremberg Laws]].
* '''1936:''' The 8th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, 8–14 September 1936.<ref name=":5" /> It was known as the "Rally of Honour" ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag der Ehre}}).<ref name=":4" /> The [[remilitarization of the Rhineland|remilitarization]] of the demilitarized [[Rhineland]] in March 1936 constituted the restoration of German honour in the eyes of many Germans. The film {{lang|de|[[Festliches Nürnberg]]}} incorporated footage shot at this rally, as well as the rally of 1937.
* '''1937:''' The 9th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, 6–13 September 1937.<ref name=":5" /> It was called the "Rally of Work" ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag der Arbeit}}).<ref name=":4" /> It celebrated the reduction of unemployment in Germany since the Nazi rise to power.
* '''1938:''' The 10th Party Congress was held in Nuremberg, 5–12 September 1938.<ref name=":5" /> It was named the "Rally of Greater Germany" ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag Großdeutschland}}).<ref>archive.org: [https://archive.org/stream/TheCompleteHitler-SpeechesAndProclamations-MaxDomarus/TheCompleteHitler-1932-1945-Vol1-4_djvu.txt page 1139ff.]</ref><ref name=":4" /> This was due to the [[Anschluss|annexation]] of [[Austria]] to Germany that had taken place earlier in the year.
* '''1939:''' The 11th Party Congress, scheduled for 2–11 September 1939, was given the name "Rally of Peace" ({{lang|de|Reichsparteitag des Friedens}}).<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2" /> It was meant to reiterate the German desire for peace, both to the German population and to other countries. It was cancelled at short notice, as one day before the planned start date, Germany began its [[Invasion of Poland|offensive against Poland]], starting [[World War II]] on 1 September 1939.

== Propaganda films ==
[[File:Allgeier riefenstahl triumph des willens 1934.jpg|thumb|[[Leni Riefenstahl]] films ''[[Triumph of the Will]]'' on location in 1934.]]
The first film to document a Nuremberg rally was ''[[A Symphony of the Will to Fight]]'', released in 1927.<ref>{{Citation |last=Geng |first=Johannes |title=Das Sensorische Regime von Körper, Masse und Raum im NS-Propagandafilm |date=2019 |work=Sensorische Regime: Die wahrnehmungsformierende Kraft des Films |pages=109–204 |editor-last=Geng |editor-first=Johannes |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-23502-4_5 |access-date=2022-11-26 |place=Wiesbaden |publisher=Springer Fachmedien |language=de |doi=10.1007/978-3-658-23502-4_5 |isbn=978-3-658-23502-4}}</ref> The most famous films, however, were made by director [[Leni Riefenstahl]] for the rallies between 1933 and 1935. Her first movie, ''[[The Victory of Faith|Victory of Faith]]'' ({{lang|de|Der Sieg des Glaubens}}), was released in 1933.<ref name="nytimes">{{Cite web |title=New York Times - Movie reviews |url=http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=292177 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031025123627/http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=292177 |archive-date=2003-10-25 |access-date=2005-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Erlanger |first=Steven |date=24 August 2002 |title=THE SATURDAY PROFILE; At 100, Hitler's Filmmaker Sticks to Her Script |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/24/world/the-saturday-profile-at-100-hitler-s-filmmaker-sticks-to-her-script.html?searchResultPosition=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250109002553/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/24/world/the-saturday-profile-at-100-hitler-s-filmmaker-sticks-to-her-script.html |archive-date=9 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-09 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language= |issn=}}</ref> Because the film featured [[Sturmabteilung|SA]] chief [[Ernst Röhm]], who was later killed at Hitler's orders in the 1934 [[Night of the Long Knives]], almost all copies of {{lang|de|Der Sieg des Glaubens}} were destroyed.<ref name="Leni Riefenstahl: A Life" /> It was considered a [[lost film]] until a copy was found in [[East Germany]]'s film archives in the 1980s.<ref name="Leni Riefenstahl: A Life">{{cite book |last1=Trimborn |first1=Jürgen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ql_FeGlS2oIC&q=%22Film%20Archive%20of%20the%20German%20Democratic%20Republic%22&pg=PP142#v=onepage&q=%22Film%20Archive%20of%20the%20German%20Democratic%20Republic%22&f=false |title=Leni Riefenstahl: A Life |date=2008 |publisher=[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] |isbn=978-1-4668-2164-4 |language=en |access-date=12 April 2020}}</ref>

The rally of 1934 became the setting for Riefenstahl's award-winning ''[[Triumph of the Will]]'' ({{lang|de|Triumph des Willens}}).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barsam |first=Richard M |title=Filmguide to Triumph of the Will |publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1975 |location=Bloomington, IN |pages=21}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3FStAwAAQBAJ |title=Leni Riefenstahl: The Seduction of Genius |date=2003 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-0-8264-7023-2 |editor-last=Rother |editor-first=Rainer |series= |location=London and New York |pages=71, 238}}</ref> In 1935 she made ''[[Day of Freedom: Our Armed Forces]]'' ({{lang|de|Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht}}) about the [[German Army (1935–1945)|German Army]],<ref name=":8" /> filmed because the army felt it was not represented well enough in ''Triumph of the Will.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary film |date=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-59642-8 |editor-last=Aitken |editor-first=Ian |edition= |location=Abingdon, Oxon |pages=760}}</ref>'' Riefenstahl, who lived until 2003, would face lifelong controversy because of her films and closeness to the regime.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connolly |first=Kate |date=9 December 2021 |title=Burying Leni Riefenstahl: one woman's lifelong crusade against Hitler's favourite film-maker |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/dec/09/burying-leni-riefenstahl-nina-gladitz-lifelong-crusade-hitler-film-maker |work=The Guardian |quote=Jürgen Trimborn, author of a highly critical biography published in 2002, declared that there was "no evidence that, due to her proximity to the regime, Riefenstahl knew more than others did about the mass annihilation of the Jews. But it is obvious that, like most Germans, she knew enough to be sure that it was better not to know even more." (Gladitz would later judge this analysis as far too generous.)}}</ref>

The 1936 and 1937 rallies were covered in the short film {{lang|de|[[Festliches Nürnberg]]}}, directed by [[Hans Weidemann]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zimmermann |first=Peter |year=2005 |editor=Hoffmann, Kay |title=Propagandafilme der NSDAP |url=http://www.mediaculture-online.de/fileadmin/bibliothek/zimmermann_propagandafilm/zimmermann_propagandafilm.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927012529/http://www.mediaculture-online.de/fileadmin/bibliothek/zimmermann_propagandafilm/zimmermann_propagandafilm.html |archivedate=2007-09-27 |accessdate=2007-10-31 |work=Geschichte des dokumentarischen Films in Deutschland. Band 3 'Drittes Reich' 1933-1945 |publisher=Reclam |language=German}}</ref>

== Rally books ==
There were two sets of official, or semi-official, books covering the rallies. The so-called "Red books" were officially published by the Nazi Party and contained the proceedings of each rally, along with the full text of speeches.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Nuremberg Parteitag Rallies - Documentary Record |url=http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/reading/party%20day/nurembergdoc.htm |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250108212010/http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/reading/party%20day/nurembergdoc.htm |archive-date=8 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=www.worldfuturefund.org}}</ref>

The "Blue books" were published initially by [[Julius Streicher]], the {{lang|de|[[Gauleiter]]|italic=no}} of [[Nuremberg]], and later by [[Hanns Kerrl]], not by the party press.<ref name=":6" /> These were larger scale books that included excerpts of speeches in addition to photographs.<ref name=":6" />

Alongside these books, collections of photos by Hitler's official photographer, [[Heinrich Hoffmann (photographer)|Heinrich Hoffman]], were published to commemorate each Party congress, as well as pamphlets of Hitler's speeches.<ref name=":6" /> Hoffman created 100-image series on the 1936, 1937, and 1938 rallies.<ref name=":6" />

== See also ==
* [[Adolf Hitler March of German Youth]]
* [[Nazi propaganda]]
* ''[[Ruins of the Reich]]''
* [[Nazi Party Rally Grounds]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Nuremberg Rallies}}
{{Commons|Nazi Party Rally Ground}}
* [http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/Reading/Party%20Day/Nurembergdoc.htm A summary of the Nuremberg books from the World Future Fund]
* [http://www.worldfuturefund.org/wffmaster/Reading/Party%20Day/Nurembergschedules.htm The Schedules for the Parteitags of 1934–1938]
{{Nazi propaganda}}
{{NSDAP}}
{{Nazism}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1920s in Germany]]
[[Category:1930s in Germany]]
[[Category:Adolf Hitler's rise to power]]
[[Category:Nuremberg under Nazi Germany]]
[[Category:Nazi propaganda]]
[[Category:Nazi terminology]]
[[Category:Political party assemblies]]
[[Category:Recurring events disestablished in 1939]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1923]]