In class this week, we split up into three groups and read World War II related essays. My group’s essay was about the use of propaganda. The article, described many examples of the detestable propaganda the Nazis used. I already had knowledge of how Hitler and Goebbels portrayed Jewish people as rats and vermin; however, their use of propaganda did not just stop with the Jews. According to the article, Germany used different forms of propaganda towards the Allied soldiers. The Germans dropped leaflets from the sky in hopes of breaking the moral and spirit of the soldiers. These leaflets included messages like, the American soldiers are sleeping with the British soldiers’ wives at home, and Jews in America are profiting off of the war. The Japanese used similar methods to mess with the minds of enemy soldiers. They had female announcers, known as “Tokyo Rose”, on the radio tease the American soldiers and make them homesick by playing songs and reminding them of popular landmarks back home.
The Allied countries also used their fair share of propaganda. Great Britain used many forms of propaganda during the war. They first used radio broadcasts, similarly to Germany and Japan; however, unlike the axis countries, they strived to “be seen to be as truthful as possible” according to BBC. Much of the British propaganda reached the Germans with the hope that they could eventually persuade the Germans that they are wrong. On the American side, the USA also used propaganda. Although for them, it was strictly to influence their own citizens. Since Americans at the time were isolationists, they did not want to go to war; however, Franklin D. Roosevelt used the atrocity of the Pearl Harbor attack to his benefit by convincing American citizens to go to war. He accomplished this through many documentaries and animations, painting the picture of the injustices going on overseas. The United States also spread the war effort through propaganda in everyday life, such as newspapers and posters. They also conveyed the importance of the war effort by showing that everybody was needed, regardless of race, sex, or religion. Giving everyone a roll to play made people of all genders and races eager to join the army and the workforce.
With all of this is mind, is propaganda truly a bad thing? Maybe propaganda inherently is just a tool that can be used for good, or exploited for bad. Just as the United States used propaganda to stop a huge injustice going on overseas, the Germans used propaganda to help commit that same injustice. This point can be shown through examples other than war.
I’m sure you have seen anti-smoking and anti-drug campaigns in schools. Posters are plastered all over the halls along with frequent presentations regarding the harm of smoking, vaping, and drugs. This is propaganda just like the American War Campaign posters, news articles, and films. See the similarity? Although you may not have thought of these health campaigns as propaganda, they are. Yet, they are making an enormous positive impact on the youth, educating them about the harmful effects of these substances. Therefore this proves that propaganda is not simply what we think of when we hear the word. It is not just the hate spreading mechanism or political campaign booster, but instead can help spread positive messages and valuable information.