PROPAGANDA 4 Introduction Wars are not only fought on the battlefield They are also fought in the minds of the people doing the fighting and of those whose fate depends on the outcome Winning hearts and minds is the target of propaganda The word propaganda comes from the name of a body set up by the Roman Catholic Church in the 17th century to spread the Catholic religion around the world Today it is used to describe deliberate attempts to manipulate people’s beliefs and actions Sometimes propaganda makes a careful case using facts and arguments but it can also be based on rumors distorted versions of the truth or even on complete lies Propaganda also often uses of symbols such as flags and insignia architecture music and particular words In wartime there are two main types of propaganda One sometimes called white propaganda aims to reassure the side that produces it The other black propaganda aims to mislead or demoralize the enemy Forms of Propaganda In World War II propaganda was disseminated in a variety of ways Governments carefully controlled what was reported in newspapers for example to make sure that it did not undermine people’s morale Poster campaigns had the same effect as did patriotic films Radio stations provided a way of directing propaganda at the enemy by mixing political messages with entertainment such as dance music Airplanes dropped leaflets on occupied countries either urging the occupied people not to give up hope or urging the occupying soldiers to go home In Germany and Japan governments used propaganda to indoctrinate their peoples with the belief that they were racially superior to the enemy In Britain and the United States politicians used more subtle but still one-sided campaigns to persuade their citizens how vital it was to resist the spread of fascism Effect of Propaganda The combatants in the war ran the biggest propaganda campaigns of all time It is impossible to judge how much they influenced the eventual outcome of the war At the time people believed that without them defeat was more likely because they ensured that people kept fighting In reality many people did not fight for the ideas spread by propaganda but for more practical reasons in order to defend their homes families and friends This U S poster uses caricatures of Hitler to list and reject the arguments of German propaganda The German message was that democracy was too weak to resist the Nazis determination
WORLD WAR II SOURCEBOOK 5
Allied Propaganda Early in the war Britain was the only major combatant that had evaded German control But the British lived with a real fear of invasion or of being cut off and starved into defeat It depended on its allies for supplies It became clear to the British government early in 1939 that German aggression in Europe might lead to war The British set up a government department to produce propaganda aimed at Germany and the territory it had occupied It also set up the Ministry of Information to produce white propaganda aimed at encouraging British civilians The ministry used various means of communication including posters and radio broadcasts which were organized by the young British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Protecting the Country The major focus of British propaganda was defense and security It was feared particularly early in the war that the Germans could attack at any time For that reason everyone was encouraged to always carry their gas masks There were drills at school and in workplaces so that people knew how to fit their masks quickly PROPAGANDA THE ROYALS British propaganda got a boost when the royal family decided to stay in London during the Blitz When it was suggested that the children go to Canada for safety the Queen said The children won’t go without me I won’t leave without the king And the king will never leave The King and Queen visit bombed-out areas in the East End of London Buckingham Palace was bombed seven times during the war but King George VI and Queen Elizabeth remained in residence 66
ALLIED PROPAGANDA 5 A Canadian beaver marches side by side with a British lion in this Canadian recruiting poster The beaver has the maple leaf on its helmet the lion’s cigar is a reference to that of Winston Churchill see box page 10 7
