Category: War Propaganda

Italy was a relatively new state; it had only been recently united in 1861 and divisions among separate regions and social classes remained a predominant issue in the early 1920s. Following the Great War, the Italians were resentful of their “mutilated victory” and criticized the Treaty of Versailles of 1919 for being unjust to the Italians. The frustration of the people was contemplated further by the recession that followed the war, and an incapable government that failed to restrain the economic depression from expanding.

In 1919, less than a year following the termination of the war, Benito Mussolini, a veteran of World War One and publisher of a Socialist newspaper, formed the new political party Fasci di Combattimento in Milan. This new political party embraced nationalism and stressed order and obedience to the state, evolving in into the political theory of fascism. In its early years, the party maintained an anti-communist vision and manifested its intention in restoring the long-lost Roman Empire. As well as, it criticized the Italian government for its inability to oppose the inequitable treaty of 1919, appealing to the public’s discontent. Mussolini organized a paramilitary, known as the “Black Shirts” which terrorized any opponents to the party, eventually enabling him to rise to power.

Fascist ideologies attracted the populace of Italy, who was desperately anxious for change. In October of 1922, Mussolini led his famous March of Rome, which successfully granted him the place as the Prime Minister of Italy. Soon after, Mussolini consolidated his power in the government, mostly through the medium of violence carried out by the Black Shirts. At last, in January of 1925, the Fascist state was officially proclaimed, with Mussolini as its dictator, who became referred to as “Il Duce.”

Mussolini appealed to the Western powers seeking new treaties, however, his aggressive invasion of Abyssinia in 1935 ended any hope for any possible alliances with the United Kingdom or France. Thus, in 1936 he began supporting Francisco Franco’s Nationalist army in the Spanish Civil War, which simultaneously was being supported by Hitler’s Nazi Germany. This paved the way for an alliance between Italy and Germany, and in 1939 the Pact of Steel was signed, which officially obliged Italy to join World War Two. Consequently, Mussolini was forced out of office in 1943 and later killed in 1945.

Background Information on Women in Italy

Before the Great War, women’s role in Italy was restricted to the household, where they were constrained in performing domestic tasks. The high illiteracy rate, scarce community involvement, a predominantly agricultural society with sound patronizing values, and an overall stagnant economy, all contributed to a strong setback in the development of feminist movements in the country, compared to the neighboring powers. However, this drastically changed when in 1915 Italy officially entered the Great War, and as a consequence, men were summoned to mobilize. This left women with more job opportunities that needed to be occupied. For the first time, females in Italy experienced autonomy and recognized their social importance in society, inevitably, resulting in the emergence of women’s organizations, which fought for women’s equality. Nonetheless, when World War One ended, veterans returned home and demanded their former job positions. Women who had contributed to the war were expected to revert to performing their traditional role, yet seeds of growing feminism had been planted in the populace. Women’s contributions to the war were not exclusive to Italy, but rather a phenomenon that had occurred throughout Europe. In fact, many allied countries, such as Britain, Germany, and the United States authorized universal suffrage after the war, sadly, this was not the case for Italian women, who only gained the vote in 1945.

Policy Towards Women 1922-1925

Women saw the new Fascist party, as a modern party that would at last grant them equity. Initially, Mussolini placed himself as an ally of women, and the Fasci di Combatimento in 1919 included in their campaign the suffrage for women. This campaign towards women’s suffrage was additionally promoted by D’Annunzio in his Carta del Canaro (the constitution of the newly gained Fiume in 1923) which gave women above 20, the same rights as men, including the vote. On May 14, 1923, Mussolini also gave an opening speech at the IX Congress of the International Alliance for Women’s Suffrage in Rome, where he declared that no party in Italy was opposing the possibility that equal rights would be granted to women. In fact, in his speech, he stated that “women will bring to the exercise of these new rights, their fundamental virtues of balance, equilibrium, and prudence.” This growing feminism also gave rise to women’s parties, predominantly the fascist women’s party, Fasci Femminili founded in 1925. Yet, this feminist campaign was no more than a tool for Mussolini to gain support for the party. After promising all women the possibility to vote, in 1925 Mussolini granted only a small part of the female populace the vote in administrative elections, but only 3 months later he abolished universal suffrage en masse. Following this, the unquestionable anti-feminist policy would arise, dragging women back into tradition.

Demographic Campaign

After 1925, Mussolini’s real policy towards women came to light. In all of Italy, due to the rising feminist isms as a result of World War One, the Spanish flu, and the growing urbanization, birthrates decreased. While in the 1800s Italy’s birth rate was 39 births per thousand habitants, in the interwar years of 1921 to 1925 these numbers had decreased to 29.9 thousand. In the eyes of Mussolini, this was a threat to Italy’s future race, to the extent that the extreme rights saw it as endangered to extinction. Accordingly, the regime sought to increase the birth rates in a new demographic campaign, known as the “Battle for Births.” Il Duce first acknowledged this new pronatalist campaign in his famous Ascension Day Speech of May 26, 1927, drafted with the demographer, Corrado Gini. In his speech, Mussolini declared that “the most fundamental, essential element in the political, and therefore economic and moral, influence of a nation lies in its demographic strength.” He claimed that 40 million Italians was nothing compared to the 90 million Germans, 200 million Slavs, and the 450 million people that the British had only in its colonies. Mussolini affirmed, that if Italy was going to become a military might and regain its deserved Roman Empire, the population had to rapidly increase to a minimum of 60 million people. Mussolini attacked Thomas Malthus’s ideologies – a growing population would terminate the resources needed to survive, and the entire population would starve – and published his book “Il Numero come to Forza” (Strength in Numbers) where he outlined that if fertility rates would increase, the Empire would be rebuilt “in no time.”

Fascist pronatalist policies were necessary to fulfill Mussolini’s both domestic and foreign policies. A growth in population would supply the nation with a strong and growing army, which would, in turn, allow Italy to defend itself in the event of an attack by the Western Allies. A strong army was also obligatory to accomplish Italy’s imperialistic ambitions in Abynissia, and successively the establishment the Empire. Optimizing Italy’s population size would also supply the country with cheap labor, which was crucial to develop autarky and supplement Mussolini’s military ambitions. Nonetheless, the battle for births also contributed to Duce’s consolidation of power, by securing the support of both the Catholics and the peasants, which permitted him to establish a totalitarian state.

To instantly launch the pronatalist campaign, one of the first measures taken by Mussolini was the introduction of the tax on Celibacy which came into effect on October 1, 1927. This tax targeted unmarried men between the age of 26 to 65, and slowly incremented with age, with a maximum of 100 lines. This tax was to act as an incentive to promote marriages and condemn those who didn’t place the “nation’s needs” as a priority. As Mussolini declared in one of his speeches in 1928, “He who is not a father is not a man.” This law was revised in 1929, in which it declared that bachelors should no longer be given preference for employment in public institutions, while instead married couples who had children should be prioritized. However, this tax cannot be considered a success, as marriage rates from the 1920s to 1930s remained mainly static. In the eyes of Mussolini, the failure of the tax, only meant that the law had to become stricter, doubling its price in 1934 and again in 1936. Nonetheless, the tax never met Duce’s initial expectations.

As a result of the failure of the tax, the regime now sought to encourage women in reproducing. Attempting to compel women to have more children, the state banned the use of contraceptives, and sex education and condemned abortion. The termination of pregnancies was officially banned in the Rocco Code of Italy, in 1930, which declared abortion was to be seen as a “moral outrage” which would weaken the Italian race. However, once again these policies failed, as in fact, the birthrate dropped between the years 1927 and 1934.

Economic Policies

One of the main obstacles which the regime faced in the early 1930s was that the families were retained from reproducing, due to the high costs that would follow. To overcome this issue, the government in 1934 introduced family subsidies for industrial workers for children below the age of 14 and shortly extended to all workers in 1936. The following year, new legislation was passed which encouraged local administrations to provide housing for large families, and as well as, paid maternity leave was introduced. However, these new degrees were not sufficient to motivate the poorer-lower class. As a result, in 1937 the regime created two new institutions: The Central Demographic Office and the Fascist Union for Large Families, which were responsible for collecting demographic data and informing families of at least 7 children about the benefits the state had entitled them. In the same year, the state implemented Nazi-style marriage loans, seeking to appeal to the working class, which ranged from a minimum of 1000 lines to a maximum of 3000. Nonetheless, these new “economic benefits” that the state provided were ineffective in increasing fertility rates. First of all, poverty was still widespread throughout Italy, and the proletariat didn’t have the means necessary to raise a big family. Another reason was the government, only provided limited benefits, compared to what portrayed the propaganda. In fact, Italy’s economy was collapsing by 1937, and the state could not afford to offset the costs of big families, therefore only a few families were granted the benefits the state promised them. The dictatorship aware of this, attempted to make childbirth seem as if it was a service to the state.

These economic measures were implemented along with laws that sought to decrease women’s employment and increase their presence in the domestic field. Removing women from the job industries, served two main purposes: to increase male employment to complement its drastic decrease due to the economic recession of 1930 and also to reduce any possible distraction which would limit women’s will to reproduce. Since the early 1920s, policies prevented women from teaching in schools. However, by 1933 policies became more rigid, limiting women from even competing in state civil examinations. By 1937 the situation only worsened and a law was implemented that restricted women’s employment to no more than 10% in the workplace. Nonetheless, this new legislation lasted for only 3 years, as in 1940 it was annulled due to entrance into World War Two. Overall, these policies only had limited success. While they managed to decrease women’s workforce in the areas of teaching, jurisprudence, medicine, and journalism, they failed in many other fields. 1 out of 4 women continued to work, regardless of the legislation thorough out the 1930s. In 1931, 12% of all married women had jobs, while in 1936 it had now increased to 20.7%.

Propaganda

By the early 1930s, the pronatalist policies had resulted in failure, and Mussolini decided to intensify the propaganda. On December 24, 1933, the first Mother’s Day was celebrated, to honor those mothers who had given birth to the highest number of children. While Catholics had previously celebrated this day in some cities on March 25, the Day of the Annunciation, it now had become a public celebration throughout the entire nation. The fascists decided Christmas Eve would be the appropriate choice for this day, as it correlated with the Catholic cult of the Virgin Mary. During the celebration, which Duce himself attended, the mothers were given medals and awarded monetary prizes. A minimum of 12 children was required to be acceptable for the rewards, and 3,000 liras were awarded to the mothers in 1933. That year, 92 women throughout Italy were awarded, which altogether had given birth to 1380 children. To further encourage high fertility, the awarded price increased to 5000 lines in 1935. This was generous considering the average wage for a blue-collar worker was 300 liras a month.

Similar to Mother’s Day, in 1933, the Sagra della Nuzialità was announced. In this day, couples were encouraged to get married and were granted money as a reward. Only in Rome, 800 couples got married that day, and then they would proudly walk through the streets of Rome manifesting their support to the state.

Nonetheless, the propaganda that influenced most women, was the daily to daily propaganda. Initially, the propaganda was mainly visual to appeal to all levels of society. However, the regime over time began to control more media, including cinemas, newspapers, literature, fashion, and architecture to fully transmit the Fascist ideologies. Also, Mussolini organized many public events like parades, rallies, and the famous Fascist Saturday, which praised Mussolini and evoked nationalism. Fascist propaganda manufactured two different female images, which were portrayed throughout the different media. One was known as the Donna crisis, this one was portrayed as an urban, skinny, hysterical, and most importantly, sterile woman. The Donna crisis was used by the Fascist party as a model to avoid, as it opposed Fascism’s ideals. This model was associated with the new image of the Italian Marietta, which paralleled the new generation of young women throughout all of Western Europe and the United States, for instance, the French garcon, the American flapper, and the British bachelor girl. This new generation of young women was predominantly from the middle and upper classes, and they encouraged women’s independence and freedom. This persona was highly discredited throughout the various propaganda, for instance, in 1928, a song called “Barlocchie e Profumi” was played on the radio daily, and it depicted women as spendthrifts who didn’t take care of their children. This characterization was constructed to symbolize the threats of modernization and the sense of independence planted in women in Italy.

The other figure was instead the donna madre: she was characterized as national, rural, robust, and prolific. She was the embodiment of fascist ideals, as well as responsible for raising children to be good soldiers. When depicting the donna madre in their propaganda, the dictatorship addressed women as mythic figures, for instance, “the bearers of numerous children,” “the mothers of soldiers” and the procreators of the race.” During the 1930s many fashion articles became a source of propaganda to encourage the idealization of the donna madre and illustrated only women with large hips, long hair, and skirts. The state recognized that the women’s magazines were successful in appealing to women, and as a result in 1935, the Ente Nazionale della Moda was funded by the government to produce clothes for large-hip women. Yet, the most successful pronatalist propaganda tool used by the dictatorship was the establishment of the female organizations of the Fascist National Party. Upper-middle-class women volunteered in these organizations as role models, who taught peasant women domestic skills as well as, how to properly raise their children with fascist doctrines.

Overall, the regime’s propaganda was successful in reaching all social classes, and remarkably at targeting women. While, it may have not been extreme as Nazi Germany, Fascist propaganda transmitted Fascist ideals successfully to the entire Italian populace. However, it was only able to promote the battle for births to a limited extent. There was a lack of financial support, to persuade the lower social classes to pursue the campaign, and although it successfully encouraged its ideology of it, in practice the lack of enough details, resources, and logic led to its failure.

OMNI

‘Maximum natality, minimum mortality; these two aspects of fascism’ demographic policy are interdependent.’ During the first phase of the pronatalist campaign, Mussolini wanted to increase both the quantity and the quality of the Italian race. The regime was aware that Italy had one of the highest rates of child mortality in Europe, followed by illegitimacy rates, which by the early 1920s had risen to 25% of children born illegitimate. This paved the way, for the foundation of L’Opera Nazionale per la Materinità ed Infanzia (OMNI), created by the regime in 1925. The Duce affirmed OMNI had the objective to reinforce family values and increase natality rates, while simultaneously decreasing mortality. According to Attilio Lo Monaco-Aprile, the state wanted OMNI to act when the “family was inexistent, inadequate or inappropriate.”

One of the first main battles for OMNI was the intervention of illegitimate babies. This had two main scopes: firstly, promote population growth and secondly encourage the idea of a united family. The first step to accomplish this goal was to prevent mothers from having an abortion and giving birth under clandestine conditions. Secondly, OMNI promoted breastfeeding and the nursing of newly-born babies, to minimize the chances of abandonment. Lastly, it was pivotal that the father recognized the baby to obtain support for it. OMNI following the year 1927, was declared to have prevented thousands of children from being illegitimate. However, this program didn’t have the success it claimed. By the early 1930s, about 77% of all illegitimate children were recognized, whereas in 1914 it was estimated to be 62%.

Nonetheless, OMNI also had other goals apart from decreasing illegitimacy. Its second greatest ambition was decreasing child mortality, by improving birth conditions. It recruited trained and motivated peasant classes in the upbringing of infants. It thought young mothers about hygiene norms and encouraged giving birth in OMNI where they would be taken care of. In fact, OMNI had hired professionalized pediatrics, obstetrics, midwifery, and even nursing, in order to improve birth conditions. However, after the racial laws of 1938, only white women were allowed to benefit from the help of OMNI, as Jewish children were thought to contaminate the pure Italian race. Overall, also this goal had some degree of success. By the mid-1930s 93% of all births still took place at home. Yet, infant welfare improved during the interwar years. The death rates for first-year life declined by 20%, from 128.2 deaths per thousand in 1922 to 102.71 deaths per thousand in 1940. Despite that, infant mortality in Italy was still 25% higher compared to contemporary France and Germany.

Regardless, of its main ambitions, the Opera was also established by the government for another scope: propaganda. OMNI was required to promote the healthy figure of the donna madre and emphasize the duty to reproduce for the state. OMNI was also responsible for the creation of Mother’s Day to encourage the “myth of maternity.” This organization also attempted to highlight the joys of rural life, and discredited urbanization, which according to Mussolini was it led to lower fertility. Secretly, OMNI was also a form of the police squad, as employees were to report any form of suspicious behavior from either the children or the mother.

Conclusively, OMNI failed in accomplishing its main goal; increasing birth rates. The birth rate dropped from 29.9 per thousand people between 1921-1925 to 24 per thousand between 1931 to 1935. This can be accredited to multiple factors, but most dominantly the lack of organization and limited finance. Many women felt they didn’t receive the services promised, and because Italy was still in a recession during the 1930s the government only provided limited support to this organization. OMNI continued to exist up until 1970, and while it had failed in promoting the pronatalist campaign, this organization was the first step into modernizing the Italian welfare system.

Relationships with the Church

On the eve of the unification of Italy in 1861, the Papal states resisted being incorporated into the state. Since then, the Pope and the state of Italy didn’t recognize each other’s sovereignty and had a distressing relationship. This changed when Mussolini came into power. According to the historian Kertzer, both the Pope and Mussolini necessitated each other. The Pope was losing dominance over Italy, while Mussolini was aware of the Church’s predominant influence over the Catholic populace of Italy, and knew in the long term it required the Church’s support to consolidate his power. In 1929, Mussolini and Pius XI ended the ongoing disputes and signed the Lateran Treaty, in which the Pope recognized the state of Italy and Rome as its capital. In return, Italy recognized the Pope as the head of the Vatican state and secured the Pope’s independence.

Upon ratification, Fascism didn’t lose the opportunity to spread its antifeminist campaign with the conservative and discriminatory positions of the Church. The Church supported Mussolini’s demographic campaign as it promoted the traditional patriarchal organization of the family and encouraged marriage and reproduction. In the mass, the Church would promote the figure of the donna madre as well as promote elements of the battle for births. The Church had previously some aspects of the pronatalist campaign, for example, in early 1926, the Osservatore Romano, a Vatican newspaper published a number of articles where it addressed the Church’s support for OMNI and emphasized how some social policies under fascism were in line with Christian ideologies. However, now the state and the Church worked simultaneously to promote population growth. Together, the Church and the State drafted the Rocco Code against the circulation of contraceptives and abortion. The Church also promoted women’s traditional role, through dedicated professionals and a well-established press. Pope Pius XI condemned birth control in their encyclical “Casti connubial” and the “Quadragesimo Anno” which both declared the superiority of men over women, whose function was to remain in the household. It moreover highlighted how women’s presence in the workplace was a threat to the family and the education of their children. Following the publishing of the encyclical, Agostino Gemelli, founder of the Catholic University in Milan and vice-president of the Società Italian di Genetica ed Eugenitica advocated the arguments proposed in the encyclical, and many of his arguments were published in the local newspaper throughout Italy. The Church acted as a perfect form of propaganda in promoting the demographic campaign, in particular in state schools.

The greatest Church’s success in promoting the battle for births can be attributed to its major influence on the lower class. To most of the peasantry, the Church was a source of information for the people, and a connection to the outside world making the lower class susceptible to indoctrination. The rural areas of Italy, where the majority of the peasanty inhibited, were seen by both the State and the Church as a source of high fertility. Therefore, both the Church and the regime emphasized the beauty of traditional life in the farms, while criticizing urbanization, by depicting the city as an area of sterility and lack of morals.

However, while the relationship between the Church and the government in promoting the pronatalist campaign may seem strong at first, the two institutions had different ultimate scopes. The Church while promoting some aspects of the battle for births disapproved of some others, and as a result, it was not always a successful tool to propagandize the battle. Overall, the relationship between the Church and the Fascist regime continued to have friction due to the growing competition between Catholic women’s organizations and expanding Fascist ideologies.

Conclusion

To conclude, the Fascist demographic campaign only had limited success in accomplishing its intended goals. While in 1922 there had been 30.7 births per thousand the figures continued to shrink up to its minimum of 22.4 births per thousand in 1936. The failure of this campaign can be credited to multiple factors. First, the “battle for births” was only one of the many “battles” the Fascists attempted to carry out during the 1930s. The high poverty and elevated desire for freedom by women were eventually too high to lead to the change which the Fascists sought. A campaign based on the appeals of the great ancient Roman Empire was ultimately not enough to bring about a radical change in the population. Moreover, another failure can be seen in the propaganda, as it only provided limited information about the overall goals of the campaign. Lastly, the regime also failed to provide the needed funding to help poor families to increase children’s birthrates. However, while its ultimate goal had been a failure, the creation of active organizations, such as OMNI provided Italian women for the first time, with a newly established welfare system.

This essay will demonstrate the utility of propaganda to subdue the German population into believing the antisemitic ideology of the Nazis by discussing the different ways information was disseminated and highlighting its influence. The use of propaganda is a much-debated topic among historians, with Christopher Browning asserting that the regime implanted racist ideology through different propaganda methods, whereas Goldhagen argues that the Nazis utilized pre-existing antisemitism to maintain control rather than disseminate their racial views. It is undeniable that propaganda was fundamental for the Nazi regime due to its presence throughout all aspects of society. This case study will explore the different themes and techniques present in films, iconography, and rallies to ultimately answer the question of whether propaganda was important for disseminating racial ideas.

Joseph Goebbels and the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda used cinematography to disseminate their racist ideology to a variety of audiences. The Nazis’ effectively incorporated symbolism and metaphors into propaganda to indoctrinate the population, such as Jews being presented as parasites. This corroborates the ideas of Lucy Dawidowicz, who suggests that prevalent antisemitic beliefs influenced propaganda rather than created new ideas. The use of popular beliefs is seen through the 1940 film ‘Jud Suss’ which was watched by 20.3 million Germans, showing enthusiasm for the regime. The prevailing belief exploited here is the idea that Jews are corrupt and responsible for the misgivings of Communism and Capitalism. The Nazis used this to accelerate antisemitic ideas through propaganda.

Similarly, ‘The Eternal Jew,’ released in 1940, presents itself as a documentary seeking to emphasize a depiction of Judaism as a vengeful and evil religion, with the intention of justifying the marginalization of Jews in society. This is evident through the cross-cutting between the first two scenes; the opening scene focuses on rats in a sewer, which immediately cuts to the huddled masses of Jews on the street. These parallels are an attempt to embed racial perceptions in the audience. Susan Tegel sees this allusion as an attempt to exploit existing beliefs rather than to create new ideas; it was simply a way to justify their actions. However, she agrees that films could influence German beliefs, evident through the embracing of the ideas of the 1935 Nuremberg Laws. As a result, this demonstrates the importance of propaganda in disseminating ideological beliefs because it kept the issues prevalent to the public. Similarly, Browning argues that without propaganda, many Germans would not have committed the acts they did. He saw that propaganda was a way to justify and encourage racial actions, which is in direct opposition to Goldhagen, who says that Germans were already willing to commit atrocities and propaganda had an insignificant impact on their decisions. However, Norman Finkelstein denounces Goldhagen’s study as being ‘full of misinterpretations,’ limiting the value of his findings.

Both films illustrated the Jews as conspirators, and due to the entertainment format, they portrayed a growing acceptance in public life. A pivotal point that proves the acceptance was the 1941 Law of Police Regulation on the Marking of Jews, which forced the Jews to wear badges as an identifier. However, there is an acknowledgment that there are limitations to the effectiveness of propaganda films due to their entertainment value, as they do not permanently shape society; instead, they give the approved opinions of the regime. In general, it is accepted that the pejorative allusions and connotations within films normalized the separation between Jews, indoctrinated the population, and allowed for potential unrest, such as Kristallnacht in 1938. Nevertheless, ideas brought forward through the medium of cinema were successful at disseminating the ideology of the regime, as it masked the propaganda message with the façade of entertainment.

The Nazi regime was able to disseminate racist ideology through iconography because of the simple but complex messages that were conveyed through posters and cartoons. Antisemitic ideas are highlighted through the 1942 poster captioned, ‘Behind the Enemy: The Jew’, with a typical ugly and fat caricature of a Jew, standing behind the flags of the USA, Britain, and the USSR [see figure 1]. This produced fear because the Nazis saw these nations as their enemies and stating that Jews are ‘behind’ them implies that they are the conspirators for both Capitalism and Communism, which are regarded as the antithesis of fascism, and portrays the Jews as the true enemy. This reflects the rhetoric that the Jews were dangerous due to their intelligence and ability to deceive and manipulate Germans, helping to motivate the population to act upon their hatred of Jews.

Another poster in circulation throughout the 1930s was a picture of a German man and a Jewish man with the caption ‘The Jewish spirit undermines the healthy powers of the German’ [see figure 2]. The poster reasserts the Nazi belief that Jewish culture was uncivilized through the apparel of the Jew, being unshaven and unkempt, capitalizing on the current antisemitic views. The caption encapsulates the justification for the Nazis’ marginalization of the Jews, rationalizing that they were the reason for the current state of Germany and inciting fear by implying a worsening state if action is not taken. This style of propaganda would motivate the population to take action to ensure their future is safe because this style of propaganda feeds on the fear of the population.

Minority groups, particularly Jews, became objects of hatred and fear because of the visual arts, as evidenced by the grotesque and demonizing images used throughout the Nazi regime. To instill fear, the regime used posters to endorse fascist ideas of real and imagined enemies; for the Nazis, the enemy was different ethnicities, which led to their eugenics and superior race ideology. With many different and often opposing imagery of Jews, it creates a cluster of allusions that distort the true representation but equally creates fear, which according to Jeffery Herf, was essential for the Nazi regime to promote their ideas in a palatable manner. However, David Bankier has contested that, although propaganda was effective for developing violence, he believes that its influence has been immensely overstated; he suggests that these beliefs already existed within society and that propaganda was merely a vessel to share the message. Visual displays were a beneficial way to disseminate information as they were accessible to all ages and educational statuses. The messages were overtly stated and easy to understand, and the omnipresent nature of the images reinforced these messages, increasing the susceptibility of the population to believing the information given.

Rallies were another method that the Nazis used to disseminate racial ideology; they promoted national pride and belonging, which allowed for the marginalization of non-Germans in society. The Nuremberg Rallies have been described as large spectacles that focus on a ‘strong, proud, and aggressive German identity.’ This inevitably incited nationalism, culminating in the pursuit of racial purity, ergo the demonization of Jews through speeches and rallies. Herf explains that throughout Goebbels’ speeches, he presented the Germans as defenders, and the enemies were often synonymous with the Jews, promoting what one could argue at the time as a valid reason for antisemitic actions.

There was significant enthusiasm towards the rallies and the messages being delivered, this is indicated by a quarter of a million people attending the rallies during the 1930s. These rallies did not discuss new concepts; however, it does not diminish the impact that rallies had on the population. For example, the rallies aimed to create a consensus and justify their actions. One of the techniques highlighted in Nazi propaganda was the ‘bandwagon’ or ‘following popular beliefs’ to maintain control. This affirms that the Nazis took advantage of popular antisemitic beliefs to influence the propaganda messages more than new ideas. Addressing established concepts it made propaganda messages more accessible and accepted by the majority. This is demonstrated through the Nazis’ use of speeches to confirm rather than convert beliefs, increasing the willingness to comply with the regime. One speech performed by Goebbels in 1933 justifies their racial policies; he states, ‘We have done what is necessary… fulfilled our duty.’

To summarise, this essay aimed to assess the effectiveness of propaganda as a tool for disseminating racist ideology by exploring three ways the Nazis delivered their messages. It can be concluded that the Nazis capitalized on the zeitgeist associated with 1930s Europe; therefore, propaganda was dependent on existing antisemitic ideas to promote racial policies. The most significant discovery of this study is the recurring themes that run across all styles of propaganda, for example, the demonizing of Jewish characters. It is also clear that certain types of propaganda were more effective than others. For instance, rallies were vital in disseminating ideology as they carried long-lasting impressions. However, the use of film and iconography was important because it made propaganda transcend across all sectors of society, creating a one-sided message. The main obstacles for this study are the subjectivity of propaganda and the arduous task of having to discern the impact on the population. This is problematic as it has led historians to have conflicting views over the nature of propaganda, leading to contention over the utility of sharing antisemitic ideology. Notwithstanding, for this study, these limitations do not impede the significance of propaganda for disseminating racial ideology. A question raised by this study is the characteristics of propaganda and its purpose. Is it to generate new ideas or solely to relay established concepts?; because like Goebbels stated: ‘If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.’

Propaganda is a simple but very effective tool used throughout history. This simple term turned winning sides into wars. What is little known, is how it is used and what made it so effective. Let’s dive deeper into World War 2 where one of the biggest impacts, of propaganda, takes place. This is one of the first major wars in which propaganda was heavily used and affected so many. Propaganda strongly influenced the American people, and the American soldiers’ support for the war and negatively affected the opposing side, all of which helped in the United States’ victory.

The Second World War included all of the world’s major powers, like the Axis Powers: Hitler, Italy, and Japan; and the Allied Powers: France, Britain, and Russia. The fighting was a horrific battle; but the conflict was not only waged on the ground, sea, or water. There’s been a more discreet battle being waged between actors and graphic artists from the Axis and Allied regime. These men and women played an important role in formulating those views about their enemies and the war by transmitting these kinds of thoughts to their fellow citizens in order to provide some sort of solidarity for their country. Through the force of persuasion, these psychological soldiers attempted to foster a passion for their country.

The best way to understand how propaganda works is by knowing the different types of propaganda. There are three main types of propaganda, Black, Grey, and White. White propaganda is factual evidence used in a way to get the audience to conform to its side, usually opinionated. Grey propaganda uses factual information but does not reveal its source. It usually is credible but with a heavy bias. Black propaganda is sometimes false information to persuade a person or a group. The source is not found or is not the true source and it is not factual. These different types of propaganda are used in different ways depending on the outcome the intent sender wants.

Propaganda’s first major benefit was the impact on a sender state’s own citizens. It helped boost the morale and production of necessities during the war. According to scholar David Welch, patriotism and nationalism were two of the foremost important themes played on by the propaganda of the time. In 1914, the nation’s army was made of professionals furthermore as volunteers, causing the govt. to rely heavily on propaganda as a tool to justify war to the general public eye. This propaganda was wont to promote recruitment into the military and furthermore to convince civilians that if they joined, their sacrifices would be rewarded. one of the foremost impressionable images of this First Warfare is that of the “Your Country Needs You” poster, a particular recruitment poster of Lord Kitchener pointing at his British audience, convincing them to affix the war effort. All of these things helped in making sure the countries’ people supported their side and didn’t try and help the other side.

So while some governments try to suppress and diminish the say of their people, others try to boost that up and make their citizens happy. In some cases, propaganda is used as a scare tactic not against the enemies but against the people of said nation. This puts fear into the people and it keeps them working for the goal of the government. This isn’t a very moral way to use propaganda, but it can be effective. This same concept can be used against the enemy too.

When enemy troops don’t have contact with their side, or even if they do, they can sometimes question why they are fighting. Adding negative propaganda, just makes them feel as if they can’t win. This has been shown to lead to a less alert and active military. This is a great, non-lethal weapon that can sometimes do more damage than a conventional weapon. When a state’s troops don’t want to fight, how are they going to win with no effort? Likewise when a state’s troops are wanting to fight and have a reason they have that much more of an advantage over the enemy. Warfare is not always about who can get the most kills, but whose side is justified and right. When one side can prove to the other that they are right they win. This method doesn’t seem to have many flaws, as it can either degrade the morals of the opposing force or switch them to their side.

Propaganda as a weapon is quite destructive. It can undermine the opponents and build support because the state will be winning. Wartime diplomacy is focused on five main ideas. The first is that propaganda campaigns are used to shape news reports and commentary, defining and redefining the war goals, luring neutral nations into the coalition by offering slices of enemy territory, and encouragement by the Allies of nationalistic movements inside the Central Powers. These ideas are great for influencing all sides of a war. Depending on what type of propaganda is used it can strongly dictate the outcome of wars.

When the war started oceanic communication cables were cut making it much harder to communicate. What came out of this was better propaganda. Countries could use black propaganda with false stories or ideas and get away with it. Communications were blocked so no one could know the whole truth. Also, countries could use sympathy to back their side, because war is sad. The sympathy of the backer, from this backers, could get many things for the chosen side. In the case of the United States, it allowed wealthy individuals to invest in the war industry. Which, indeed, did help the United States in a victory.

Women also played a major role in propaganda. Since women couldn’t fully serve in the war, other tasks including making propaganda were their roles in the wartime. Also, some propaganda, like British propaganda said the enemy threatened women and families. This gives more reason for the soldiers to work harder to protect the ones they love. In this case, terror was thrown on Britain’s own side, but it works and is effective. They have more drive and motivation through this fear, which is a good thing. There was also propaganda directed toward women to have them more motivated to work. Before the war women mainly stayed at home. During the war, through propaganda, women were encouraged to join the workforce. This directly impacted the economy and war. By making supplies and helping boost the United States economy, it helped make more money and supplies for the soldiers.

The part of propaganda was atrocity propaganda. This is when the propaganda focuses on the bad things other nations do instead of trying to boost their own morals. This drives hatred among soldiers and citizens, making them want to win the war even more. It is extremely effective when there are major crimes committed by opposing forces. This uses morals to boost confidence in one’s side and makes one fight harder. It also affects the populace of the said nation. It will make the ordinary people think their country is morally correct, and that the reason behind the war is valid. Because the German’s treatment of some people was so bad, this was very easy for the United States to achieve. Many knew the Germans were in the wrong, but by telling the specifics to the american people, their anger could grow. Like before, when one’s anger is escalated it makes it much easier to be motivated towards a situation. This is exactly the case with Americans during World War 2, they were so disgusted by the Nazis, that their motivation to win skyrocketed.

What started propaganda in America? The answer is President Wilson, as he created the Committee on Public Information. The Committee on Public Information was responsible for producing films, commissioning posters, publishing numerous books and pamphlets, purchasing advertisements in major newspapers, and recruiting businessmen, preachers, and professors to serve as public speakers in charge of altering public opinion at the communal level. This program made sure Americans knew that America was essential in winning World War 2. The morals of Americans are essential, especially in a capitalist economy. This is because if people don’t feel the need to work then the economy might fail. The economy is very important during wartime, as it is essential to have currency to use during the war. People need to want to work and help the economy. The biggest thing about war is motivation, without that why would there be a fight?

The United States also took advantage of the influence of film production to encourage nationalistic beliefs among Americans. When films were seen in the theatres, newsreels were seen and after the conflict, several of these reels convinced civilians to participate in the ongoing battle. The Pearl Harbor model is a Newsreel picture called Avenge December 7 (page 13). It is a political item that encourages us to seek vengeance on the Japanese for their awful assault on Pearl Harbor and it’s been transmitted almost a year since the strike. 7 December: Avenge Promotes individuals to purchase bonds and coins, allowing Americans to offer their part and support win. The film’s narrator states, ‘Avenge Seventh December on the triumph. One will also recognize the utter pleasure and excitement of taking part in this show. Sure you’ve purchased bonds and stamps, but write in your mind as you shop this week that they’re bonds of revenge. Stop this theater before you quit and recall the pearl morning only a year earlier ‘(Avenge December 7). The writers reach out to the American people and in a vulnerable position they land. This was like driving the knife further right through the American people just to force them to purchase bail bonds. The governments of the fighting nations need their countrymen to support them throughout the time of the battle, and the usage of advertising to convince the people to aid in the fight is one of the main arms utilized. How powerful have America and Germany been and who has had the largest influence on their countries? Both Germany and America have done a really effective job in the way that by utilizing deception, they have accomplished the objectives that they were looking for. Dehumanizing thoughts were installed towards the Jewish nation by Germany and a strong sense of nationalism developed. Nazi Germany made up one of the world’s most effective forces, but they weren’t large enough to conquer the US masses. The United States, on the other side of the coin, became more active in the war strategy. Via advertising, Americans encouraged output so the American army would be properly equipped, and the American people would have employment as well. Ultimately, the war was won by The United States and the Coalition Forces, and that means they were more successful in their effort. Among the American people, they developed a deeper sense of identity which contributed to a greater desire to fight. The American people will go to the ends of the world to fight this battle, and that’s why America became more effective than Germany. Propaganda played an important role for Germany and the United States in the Second World War and the ability to manipulate such a powerful instrument was the best asset that all nations might ever have had.

As shown, propaganda is a simple but very effective tool used throughout history. This simple term turned winning sides into wars. What is little known, is how it is used and what made it so effective. This tool was vital for the victory of the American forces. Propaganda strongly influenced the American people, and the American soldiers’ support for the war and negatively affected the opposing side, all of which helped in the United States’ victory.

Propaganda shaped the Second World War like no other war. Propaganda is the ‘spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person’.The United States of America declared war on Germany and Italy on the 11th of December, 1941. What ensued was a constant effort to spread propaganda to get the public behind the war effort and to unite the country. Using all types of mediums, the American Government instigated hatred towards the enemies of the nation, urged public effort for war production, and sold war bonds. As the War carried on, the government constantly pushed for people to rally support for the Allied victory.

The Government was not enthusiastic about spreading propaganda at the beginning. However, the pressure from the media sector eventually got the Government to participate in propaganda campaigning. Nonetheless, the government claimed that it did not spread propaganda but simply provided information. In 1942, the Office of War Information was established by the President of the United States- Franklin D. Roosevelt. The aim of this agency was to disseminate war information and propaganda. This was carried out through Hollywood Movies, radio stations, and publications. Furthermore, the Writers’ War Board was established to carry out propaganda through the use of books and articles. A lot of writers acted according to Government orders or undertook their own initiative. Furthermore, posters became a common medium of Propaganda. The United States produced 200,000 propaganda posters, more than any other nation during the Second World War. The Office of War Information (OWI) Bureau of Graphics was also established to produce and distribute propaganda posters. Posters based on numerous themes like patriotism, women’s action, and efficient resource usage acted as weapons for the American Government. These were most commonly put up in ‘post offices, railroad stations, schools, restaurants, and retail stores’. Smaller posters were put up outside homes and apartments. The posters of the United States also differed from other countries. The United States posters focused on duty and patriotism while those of other countries focused on fueling the people’s hatred for the enemy.

Moreover, the impact of film on the American Population was a huge factor in increasing the number of participants in the War. Hollywood movies contributed to the Allied cause by ‘portraying Nazis in place of the usual gangster villains while the Japanese were depicted as being bestial, incapable of reason or human qualities.’ The earlier Hollywood productions that ridiculed any of the Axis governments were ‘You Nazty Spy!’ and a ‘Three Stooges’ short film released on January 19, 1940. In 1942, the first film of the ‘Why We Fight’ series was released. The series was commissioned by the United States Government and was intended to justify America’s participation in the war. Movies that provided entertainment also incorporated propaganda. The movie ‘Mrs. Miniver’ released in 1942 depicted the Battle of Britain and simultaneously encouraged public support for the War. It was immediately rushed into theatres on Roosevelt’s orders. Movies like ‘The Purple Heart’, a movie that depicted the Japanese as evil and glorified the American soldiers, motivated people to contribute to the Second World War for an Allied Victory. Furthermore, animated movies like ‘Der Fuehrer’s Face’ provided political commentary against the Axis powers. The movie ‘Education for Death’ highlights how young boys are brainwashed in Nazi Germany and are ready to do anything for Hitler. Overall, movies were a great source of encouragement for the American public and helped the Allies in gaining support for the war cause.

Magazines and newspapers were also utilized as propaganda dissemination tools, as they were extremely popular in homes. A ‘Magazine War Guide’ which gave advice for supporting the war effort, was released by the American Government. Women’s magazines such as the ‘ Ladies’ Home Journal’ aimed at housewives. Magazine Editors showed women as beings that are heroically fighting for the Allied Cause. This motivated women to help in the war. Guides were distributed to writers by the Office of War Information for genres with storylines that would help in the war effort. In the newspaper industry, all negative information that would discourage people was censored by the Office of Censorship. Any information that could help the enemy was censored and only optimistic propaganda was allowed.

Radio proved to be a hugely powerful weapon for the American Government. President Roosevelt’s ‘fireside chats’, a series of addresses to the public, demonstrate the extensive use of radio in spreading war information. Radio was constantly used to provide information about Allied triumphs. Another important instance of radio usage was seen when the Italian Army was persuaded to surrender through the use of radio messages. CBS Radio’s counter-propaganda series ‘Our Secret Weapon’, monitored Axis shortwave radio propaganda broadcasts and refuted the most entertaining lies of the week. Radio also helped in the capture of Saipan by the Americans. This left the Japanese in great shock as the place was considered invincible, and the Americans had used medium-wave radio to reach the Japanese islands.

The theme of the propaganda propelled the Allies to demolish the Axis Powers. The American Government constantly stated their war as a war against evil, and motivated the population to fight a ‘just war’. Dictators like Hitler and Mussolini and their supporters found their way into movies as villains. Nazi Germany was the most evil of all the Axis Powers. Even though Hitler and the Nazis were the main target of hatred, Germans were also stereotyped as wicked in films and posters. Anti-Japanese propaganda was also very important. Propaganda based on the attack on Pearl Harbor was used in significant amounts as it had left a sour taste in the mouths of the American public. The American population had become disgusted by Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour and this was utilized by the American Government to the utmost.

Overall, the American Government was very effective in its spreading of propaganda. Women participated in the war, not only in the role of nurses but also as soldiers. Men, mainly as soldiers, participated extensively in the Second World War to help for an Allied victory. Propaganda of the American Government focused more on the optimistic side rather than showing hate and violence. This encouraged the population to join in and help the Allies take on the Axis Powers and emerge with victory.

Introduction

The Persian Gulf War in 1991 is said to have the most successful public relation organizations in the history of politics and it’s usage of media to support the war. In this case study we will mainly be discussing about the propaganda campaign which was used by the Bush administration in relation with the gulf war. Firstly to give some clarity the case study will discuss about the definition of Propaganda with some examples of how the states used the media against peoples to support the war and then a brief history of Iraq as well as the relationship between the states and Iraq before the gulf war. This case study will help to analyze the role of media such as television, news farming, CNN and what role they played during the war. All in all this essay will also help us analyze the implications of the war and its relationship with the Middle East.

Definition of propaganda.

As the dictionary defines ‘propaganda’ as a word which is often used in negative sense, especially for the politicians who have made false news or either they claim to get elected. In other words any organization that is used to persuade people’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviors, spreading ideas, informations or rumors to help a cause or a situation can be called as propaganda.

While propaganda has been used over decades of years, just then the advancement of new technologies was evolved where it allowed us to spread information to larger masses and it later became a scientific process whereby it was capable of influencing the whole nation of people. Propaganda was trending to various parts of countries; it was constantly being used by different countries by the politicians, in times of wars and to gain economics and social means through the modern propaganda; ‘modern propaganda’ tends to use all sorts of mediums to spread information including press, Radio, film, posters, online, social applications, books, plays and many more. The current most popular social means are shown through television where even the uneducated peoples have access to it. The candidate uses propaganda technique to showcase and compete to win against their competitors or in other words propaganda is fully being utilized by the use of media especially in its portrayal of countries that have nuclear technologies.

Propaganda used by the states.19, less than 2% of the published picture.”

In the above context it clearly shows that the United State fully used propaganda technique with the help of the media to gain the support of public against the war on Iraq, however the reaction of the media was quite opposite. The media presented the news to debate over going to the Gulf War around the world. It was later when the media of United Stated and the States aligned together to give a completely false news which stated that there was a great threat to Saudi Arabia from Iraq at the beginning of the war when later it was reported that Iraq army had no interest in Saudi Arabia. And according to Sir Bennett the US had made all this implications through media just because Saddam was gaining more power in the region which was taken by the media.

President Bush’s speech failed to gain public support when he said that “this fight isn’t about the oil; it’s about naked aggression”. He also pointed out Sadam for the ill-treatment of young Kuwait girls. But according to New York Times source Bush allied and planned out the witness in Kuwait to gain attention of publics and war against Iraq where by the Iraq soldiers had detached several babies from the incubator leaving them for dead. This implications of the story is important since it changed the mind of Amnesty international’s view on commenting on gulf war. It was the thought that influenced the government who were at that time voting for the war against Iraq.

However, it was said that president Bush and the Kuwait administration had been working together on public opinion and situation which was developing.

So thus it can be argued that United Sates made it possible and gained the public support through various forms of media. The propaganda ended in summer 1990, and President Bush was successful in gaining the public support. According to one of the report the result of propaganda said that 60% of the public stated that the president acted according to the situation in Kuwait and Iraq.

Brief history about Iraq and its relation with the States.

The population of Iraq is over three million according to the BBC news. There are many peoples following different religions such as Islamic, Shia, Sunni and many more. Iraq is situated in the Middle East and is known for its rich natural petroleum and gas which acts as the main source of exports of the country. Iraq is said to be under British rule from 1917 till 1932, only then it gained its sovereignty, it is also reported that before the gulf war Iraq was also involved in an eight year war with Iran over geographical disagreement. Sadam Hussein is said to be the newly elected president just before the Iran-Iraq war, He as a president carried a lot of unforgivable actions like killing the peoples of Iran, mass murder, taking peoples into custody who opposed him and his ideologies. He was also engaged in nepotism and developed a huge army institution which later grew very powerful. Sadam Hussein also became the richest nation by its profit made by the natural oil and petroleum thus Iraq had improved health care, education and travelling facilities

It is stated that that the Iraq and the United States had strong relationship until the Middle East became threatened by the invasion of the Kuwait by Iraq. This had caused United State to be concerning over the fact that Saudi Arabia was now vulnerable to Iraq. After the successful destruction of Kuwait city and eight years of Iran war; Iraq and Sadam was said to have felt that they have the chance of becoming the most powerful leader among the Arab countries.

Television, news framing and CNN

According to the author Allen et al CNN had a great impact on the gulf war as it used techniques of priming and framing whereby it only showed the parts that they wanted to show, that would promote to have war and how it would be profitable for the US on its war against Iraq. They primed the audience by having the 30min show, the program tied the audience with theatrical melodies and shows including the pictures of the both the presidents of Iraq and the states along with the heroic images and troop. Another part of framing was the term called “human shield” which was used 2588 times throughout the war. This particular word meant a person being held captive. And it personalized the whole war for the American public instead of showing the whole mass and the death of the human lives, CNN was said to be focused on glorifying and complementing the American action. Sadam Hussein as well used the propaganda against the states however the States made the fuller utilization of the media and as a result it turned against them.

Conclusion.

To conclude this easy has just outlined how the US used the media to rally support the gulf war and gain people’s support against the Iraq war and discussed about the definition of Propaganda with some examples of how the states used the media against peoples to support the war and then a brief history of Iraq as well as the relationship between the states and Iraq before the gulf war. We also analyzed about the case study and the role of media such as television, news farming, CNN and what role they played during the war. The gulf war continued to give negative effects on public relation and weekend Sadam’s influence over the region. We also concluded that the gulf war was one of the tragic event of September 11th 2001.

To understand how certain events took place in history, it is vital to look at the effect propaganda had and still has on its people. By definition, propaganda is the spreading of information that may be biased to promote or oppose one’s cause. In actuality, propaganda is much more complicated and powerful than this definition can convey. By studying how the brain works, social scientists have discovered fundamental patterns in human thinking that are more susceptible to being influenced by opinion. In turn, they have developed methods that could maximally kick those patterns into gear. Unbeknownst to many, these methods of propaganda have been affecting people from ancient periods until today where some have even become desensitized to it, due to overexposure. This increase in propaganda originated during World War One when printing and new technologies increased as a result. Before, propaganda was used sparingly in situations of conflict and religious persuasion. During the war, both sides were utilizing it to promote their side and to oppose their adversaries. From then until now propaganda has been utilized in similar ways. Instead of recruiting for a World War through posters and movies, terrorists have been using propaganda through social media to fight for their cause in a different country and culture. Whatever the incentive, propaganda has been proven to be effective at changing an opinion. This is because during WWI the use of propaganda was drastically increased and distributed globally for the first time making it more accessible.

The scientific explanation behind why propaganda can be so effective was a powerful discovery that lead to a whole new world. Researchers found that when someone is presented with a piece of propaganda, they respond with their emotional centers of the brain before their intellectual centers. For example, name-calling the enemy can make the audience see the enemy as inhuman and induce a sense of fear. Making glittering generalities about the ally can create a feeling of patriotism and pride to do something. Looking at the piece of propaganda a second time and thinking about the message that is being conveyed, the audience may realize that the enemies are people just like them, or that it is not right to feel pride about destroying another group of people. Researchers also found that people are more likely to be persuaded when they are being emotionally appealed to rather than being presented with facts. In the end, the facts end up being ignored and people believe in their opinion more strongly. The reason for this strong headedness can be quoted by risk perception and communication author David Ropeik who says, “We are social animals instinctively reliant on our tribe for safety and protection. Any disloyalty literally feels dangerous, like the tribe will kick you out.” Ropeik is saying that changing someone’s initial opinion goes against human nature because people fear being isolated from the group they originally affiliated with. In the Stone Age being isolated from the group could be the death of a person, so initiating that by disagreeing with their party’s beliefs would not be worth the sacrifice. Instead, they would join a bandwagon as to not feel left out. This bandwagon propaganda method can be made even stronger through the testimonial method, which is when a celebrity or professional figure endorses a particular belief. Throughout history, these propaganda methods along with many others have been heavily used to influence many opinions.

The use of propaganda is not a recent discovery like many believe. It goes back to the most ancient civilizations in history. One such civilization are the ancient Greeks. Since the Greeks did not have physical outlets to print and distribute their propaganda on, they instead hosted games, festivals, and performed plays to sway people’s opinions. These methods proved very effective as people had not yet built a tolerance to it like today. Despite the use of propaganda this early on, it did not receive its name until the early 1600s when Pope Gregory XIII assigned three of his cardinals de propaganda fide to spread Catholicism. In 1622 Pope Gregory XI established a formal organization from this small group called Congregazione per la Propagazione della Fede, which translates to Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Until the 1800s, the word propaganda was used mostly in a religious context. This is why the basis of propaganda is associated with faith rather than logic. On occasion, propaganda would be used in situations of conflict. For example, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere sparked the American Revolution by distributing pamphlets among the thirteen colonies to gain support to fight for their freedom. Once propaganda was beginning to be used in Revolutions, the use of it during a War seemed inevitable.

Print propaganda faced a drastic increase during WWI due to being under government control. In the Harvard Library collection, there are forty-four large volumes in the English language. Governments utilized propaganda to make the audience hate the enemy, support their allies, and participate in the war. A well-known poster commissioned by The British Parliamentary Recruiting Committee in 1915 was a daughter asking her father, “Daddy, what did you do in the Great War?” This poster and many alike were aimed at adults who were not participating in the war feel like “slackers.” To make it even more effective, children were used to contribute to the social pressure of joining the war. On the other hand, German propaganda used more of a name calling approach. They often illustrated and described the Allies as stupid or brutal. One piece was the Humoristische Karte von Europa im Jahre 1914 caricature map depicting the personalities of the different European countries. In this map, Germany and its allies are portrayed as strong soldiers fighting back against the enemy. In terms of the Allies, Russia was portrayed as a vicious drunk that was going to destroy Germany and England as a money seeker that screwed over everyone. As WWI went on and the brutality continued, the production of these maps ended. As print propaganda increased, propaganda also began to take a new form.

The technological invention of the motion pictures during the early 1890s added to the increase of propaganda. By the time the war had started, governments decided to use film as a tool to sway their citizen’s opinions. Zepped (1916) was a short British comedy film about a German Zeppelin bombing raid over London. The film was aimed to boost the morales of people who were affected by the bombings. On a whole other level, Germany realized early on how effective film could be at controlling people’s opinions. In 1915 German officials set up the American Correspondent Film Company in the United States to control the people’s opinions in the currently neutral country. The first film produced was The Battle and Fall of Przemysl. It was aimed to promote the successful Austro-German offensive at the Eastern Front against the Russian forces. When it premiered in New York City, many critics were impressed by the film. The Billboard wrote, ‘It was generally agreed by those present that the films were the most remarkable of the many battle pictures so far shown in this country.” Variety magazine wrote, ‘It is so well photographed that one might for a minute suspect it was staged for the benefit of the camera” With this positive feedback the ACFC continued making films until it was dismantled in late 1915 when it was made illegal to export goods to Germany. Despite the short run of the ACFC, the films it produced were still able to change people’s opinions about their opponents.

After WWI, books began to expose the true nature and purpose of propaganda. Writers found that most of the propaganda distributed during WWI contained exaggerations and lies, which gave it its negative connotation. One such writer’s opinion was Agnes Repplier who wrote, “One of the ill turns done us by the war was the investing of this ancient and honorable word with a sinister significance, making it at once a term of reproach and the plague and torment of our lives.” While this is an exaggeration, Repplier represented many people’s opinions on propaganda. People began to regret their participation and felt that propaganda had contributed to an unnecessary war resulting in fear and suspicion of propaganda. Many loved ones were lost or injured in horrific ways for no reason. As a result, people were having psychological uncertainties and moral confusion about everything that had happened or what they had done. Instead of blaming themselves, people began to look for someone or something else to blame. One thing they blamed was Catholicism, which in turn started to gain a new distrust. During this time, propaganda began to be associated with wartime activities, something that people no longer supported.

A major problem in the 20th century is the recruitment of Westerners by ISIS to fight in the Middle East. ISIS attracts many young individuals because the terrorist group can provide a sense of purpose in life that many adolescents are seeking. Using social media, ISIS spends hundreds of hours showing people how the problems in their personal lives and the global world are connected to the problems that ISIS is fighting against. Sadly this powerful tactic ends up convincing many young adults to join the fight. Perhaps the reason it works so well is that terrorists are not much different from non-terrorist. In a social science study, researchers have found that the mindsets of people in and not in terrorist groups have similar views. Some of these views include that the now hostile world can be changed into a utopia, but it can not be done peacefully. Many people also agree with the statement, ‘The best way to die is defending your beliefs’ and ‘Extreme measures are needed now to restore virtue and righteousness in the world.’ Although the second statement might be a bit extreme, the first is a commonly held core belief among mostly everyone. In a terrorist group, this statement can be the catalyst to becoming a suicide bomber, whereas in civilian life it can be a catalyst to overcoming discrimination. Since it seems to be quite easy for terrorists to recruit, solutions need to be put in place. One way is to teach students to accept the imperfections of the world and that a utopia might not ever be achieved. Another way is to help young individuals find their purpose in life.

Throughout the past propaganda has been proven to be effective at changing opinions. The increased use of it during WWI led to it being distributed globally for the first time. As a result, propaganda was more accessible to people in power and more effective than before. At that time propaganda had been mainly used for religious contexts, some conflicts of interests, and some instances of persuasion. When the war hit, printing was being increased and new technology was being developed to expedite the spread of propaganda around the world. Many people were unaware of the true purpose of propaganda until after the war. Like in the past, terrorists use this unenlightenment to their advantage when recruiting new members from abroad. The reason why they can do this is that people usually respond with their emotional centers of the brain before their analytical side. However, this is not true for everyone. Many people in today’s day and age have grown up with a constant bombardment of advertisements, a current form of propaganda since they were born. This, in turn, has desensitized them to most of the advertisements they encounter in a day. This passive attitude towards propaganda can either be a benefit or harm depending on what is being advertised. Regardless of the purpose, propaganda seems like it will continue being in our lives.