World War II Propaganda

World War II Propaganda
The Power of Persuasion
A presentation by Janine Havanci and Julia Götze

Definition of „Propaganda“
A specific type of message presentation
aimed at serving an agenda
Propagates a philosophy or point of view
Aim: to actively influence people‘s
opinions

SUBDIVISIONS OF PROPAGANDA
Face-to-face communication
(social organisations, group discussions, speeches)
Audiovisual media
(television & sound motion pictures)
Audio media
( radio & loudspeakers)
Visual media
(essays, posters, cartoons, (school)books etc…)

German vs. British
Propaganda

1.1. German face-to-face communication
Political mass
assemblies
Speeches
Organisations (KdF)

Hitler – a talented speaker ?
( Art of Mass Seduction)
eloquent
rehearsed gesture
copied classical
literature
Started off calmly and
monotonously but
worked himself up
into hysteric yelling

1.2. British face-to-face communiation
• Speeches
May 13, 1940
Winston Churchill
"Blood, Toil, Tears
and Sweat”
First Speech as Prime
Minister to the House
of Commons

2.1. German audiovisual media
Leni Riefenstahl
(1902-2003)
Director
Producer
Actress
Dancer
Photographer

1933: Victory of Faith
Propaganda Films
1935: Triumph of the Will
Documentary films about the NSDAP‘s Reich Party Congress in Nuremberg

Wartime Cinema
2.2. British audiovisual media
Second World War interrupted progress
most studios closed, while a few continued to make films
for propaganda purposes
aimed to encourage patriotic feeling and boost national
morale

Wartime movies
„In In which we serve“ (1942) Noel Coward
„Millions Millions like Us“ (1943)
• „London London can take it“ (1940)
• „Listen Listen to Britain“ (1941)

Joseph Goebbels
Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
total control of communications media
a relentless Jew-baiter
nickname : „Poison Dwarf“

3.1. German audio media
The „Volksempfänger“
• first produced in 1933
• relatively cheap (65 RM)
• most effective
propaganda medium
• every 2nd household
owned one
• hardly received foreign
stations

3.2. British audio media
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
was formed 1927 by means of a royal charter
Radio was used for internal and external propaganda
broadcasted radio programmes to countries under the
control of Nazi – Germany
These programmes went out in 40 different languages

How did they get the enemy and the civilian
population to listen to their broadcasts?
-Radioleaflets were dropped from aircraft over the
enemy or friendly target areas and told the finder
exactly when and where the broadcast could be heard.
-Germans prepared many of them. They dropped them
on the Allied troops in Italy and later Europe
-sometimes they were prepared in two sizes- a large
sheet for dropping from aircraft - a small sheet for
delivery by artillery shell
-half a dozen different types were kown
-some were marked with AI or a small star

Radio Leaflets During Wartime
The use of radio as a medium of propaganda in wartime
was made famous during WWII by Tokyo Rose and Axis
Sally. The British listened to William Joyce (Lord Haw
Haw) broadcasting from Germany.
In later wars, American soldiers would hear the voice of
Hanoi Hannah and Baghdad Betty. Radio propaganda
can be broadcast over great distances to a large
audience at a relatively low cost.

Axis Sally
Lord Haw – Haw
(William Joyce)
Tokyo Rose

Radioleaflet

4.1. German visual media
„My My Struggle“
author: Adolf Hitler
autobiographical
blueprint for his political plans
when he was at the reins,
millions of copies were sold
was as common to see as the
Bible in German housholds

Publisher of the Nazi
newspaper
„Der „ Der Stürmer“
Released anti-Semitic
books for children
one of the best
known Nazi-leaders
Julius Streicher

Circulation of „Der Stürmer“
Year
1927
1933
1934
1935
1938
Circulation
14,000
25,000
113,000
280,000
473,000

Facts about „Der Stürmer“
came out weekly
should appeal to the common man
short articles with short sentences
simple vocabulary
ideas were repeated
cartoons were easily understood
filled with stories about scandal, sex and
crime

Caricatures taken from „Der Stürmer“

Anti – Semitic books for children
The Toadstool
published in 1938
sometimes used in
schools

Pictures from „The Toadstool“

4.2. British visual media
Daily Express, Monday, April 28, 1941
German Tanks Enter Athens
Paratroops seize Corinth
Express Special War Despatch
„No No Escape“
„Tanks Tanks charge“

The Homefront

The Homefront (II)

Allied Unity

The Fighting Forces

Comics and caricatures
„ I await your next ̍ ̍ inspiration ̍ ̍ , mein Fuehrer.“

Comics and Caricatures (II)

Fire Bomb Fritz

Disney and Nazi – Germany

Donald in Nutziland

Quote:
„The The receptivity of the great masses is very limited,
their intelligence is small, but their power of
forgetting enormous. In consequence of these facts,
all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few
points and must harp on these slogans until the last
member of the public understands what you want him
to understand by your slogans […]

1) Who might have said or written this
quote?
Adolf Hitler
„My „ My Struggle“ Chapter 6
„War „ War Propaganda“
2) Would you agree with this statement?

Thank you for your patience…