The Use of Propaganda During Wwii

World War II was one of the most monumental events in history and certainly was one of the most important events in the 20th century. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the event that brought the United States fully into the war. In war, there is killing, violence, and hate all mixed in. Thoughts and emotions come to play. War is no longer only between soldiers on a battlefield but is now between nations and their ideas. In order to make a whole nation of people support a war there needs to be an influence. That influence is propaganda.

Psychological warfare, public enlightenment, misinformation, lies, economical dealing with the truth are all examples of propaganda used during WWII. Propaganda is a frequently used word but some people still don’t know what it really means. The dictionary defines propaganda as many things. One is ‘information, rumors, etc. deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.’ The second definition is ‘the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.’ And the third is ‘the particular doctrines or principles propagated in an organization or movement.’ The root word of propaganda is ‘to propagate’ which means spreading, disseminating,

indoctrinating, multiplying, increasing, and reproducing. Propaganda can be as blatant as a swastika or as subtle as a joke. It is used to persuade people into believing certain things.

Most propaganda in Germany was produced by the Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Joseph Goebbels was put in charge of this ministry shortly after Adolf Hitler took power in 1933. The Nazis believed propaganda was a very important tool in achieving their goals. Nazi propaganda constantly reminded the German people of the struggle of the Nazi party and Germany against enemies, especially the Jews. Other Nazi Propaganda informed ethnic Germans living in different countries that blood ties to Germany were stronger than their allegiance to their new countries. All audiences of Nazi propaganda were reminded of the greatness of German culture, scientific, and military achievements.

American propaganda was a lot of patriotism and much of it encouraged people to join the military. Many images of propaganda also persuade people