Propaganda World War II The Holocaust. What is propaganda? 0 Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed towards influencing the attitude of a.

PropagandaWorld War II

The Holocaust

What is propaganda?

0Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed towards influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument.

0Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.

Mythbusting Propaganda

0Propaganda has grown to have a negative connotation, though that is not true of all propaganda.

0Can you think of any examples of positive propaganda?

Types of Propaganda

0 If you remember the logical fallacies we discussed last year, many of them are used in propaganda.

0 If you don’t remember the logical fallacies, here are some examples of logical fallacies used to create propaganda:

Fallacious Propaganda

0Ad hominem – attacking one’s opponent0Ad nauseum – tireless repetition of an idea0Appeal to authority – citing prominent figures to

support an idea, argument, etc.0Appeal to fear – building support by instilling anxiety

or panic in the general population0Bandwagon – persuading the target audience to join

in what “everyone else is doing”

Fallacious Propaganda

0Black-and-white fallacy – presenting only two choices (or sides) to an argument

0Cult of personality – creating a heroic public image (a hero) to advocate a given position

0Demonizing the enemy – making the opposition appear worthless or immoral

0Dictat – telling the audience exactly what actions to take

Fallacious Propaganda

0Disinformation – creation or deletion of public records to mislead the public

0Glittering generalities – emotionally appealing words that are applied to an idea, but present no concrete argument or analysis

0Half-truth – a deceptive statement that contains some element of truth

0Rationalization – using favorable generalities to rationalize questionable acts or beliefs

Fallacious Propaganda

0Red herring – presenting data or issues that are irrelevant to the argument at hand

0Repetition – repeating a certain symbol or slogan so that the audience remembers it

0Scapegoating – assigning blame to an individual or group to alleviate feelings of guilt

0Stereotyping – arousing prejudice by labeling objects as things the audience fears, hates, etc.

Fallacious Propaganda

0Straw man – misrepresenting an opponent’s position and refuting the misrepresentation

0Testimonial – quotations cited to support or reject a given policy, action, etc.

0Transfer – projecting the qualities of one thing to another to make the second more acceptable or to discredit it

Nazi Propaganda

0Nazi propaganda was produced under the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, which was headed by Dr. Joseph Goebbels, who often consulted Adolf Hitler.

0The Nazi party used newspapers, speakers, posters, films, books, textbooks, comics, magazines, radio, and fine arts to spread propaganda during World War II.

Example of Nazi Propaganda

0 This is a picture from “The Poisonous Mushroom” children’s book. One page reads:

0 “However they disguise themselves, or however friendly they try to be, affirming a thousand times their good intentions to us, one must not believe them. Jews they are and Jews they remain. For our folk they are poison.”

British Propaganda

0During World War II, British propaganda was presented through cinema, posters, leaflets, books, and radio.

0Much of the propaganda in Britain called for actions necessary to support the war efforts, such as contributing to production, enlisting in the military, and supporting yourself in times of need.

Example of British Propaganda

0This is an example of British propaganda used during World War II as part of a conservation effort.

0The Ministry of Food urged people to help with the public burden by providing for themselves.

United States Propaganda

0American propaganda was spread using posters, advertising, comics, leaflets, radio, books, movies, magazines, and newspaper.

0American propaganda was used to increase support for the war and commitment to the victory of the Allied nations.

0Some American propaganda was anti-German, anti-Italian, and anti-Japanese, meant to oppose the Axis powers.

Example of American Propaganda

0This piece of propaganda combined Nazis and the Japanese into a two-headed Axis “monster.”

0This example plays upon the fear of Americans in order to promote domestic production.

The Propaganda Project