Dear Honored guests, the following is a Paper Sample on the important issue of propaganda. The Cambridge Dictionary defines propaganda as:
Essay on‘Information or ideas that are spread by an organized group or government to influence people’s opinions, esp. by not giving all the facts or by secretly emphasizing only one way of looking at the facts’
Propaganda should not be, then, confused with misinformation that is accidental, though can have the same consequences. It is the job of journalists of important broadcasters (which are seen to be impartial) to investigate history of all the facts on both sides of an argument so that misinformation is not bestowed on a nation.
The use of propaganda has especially, been prevalent during war time to rouse a nation into backing the war effort. Let’s explore propaganda used by military powers during World War 2: the infamous Joseph Goebbels became minister for public enlightenment and propaganda. His job was to show the Nazis in a good light and blame Jews for their financial burdens and sanctions imposed after World War 1. History.com sates: ‘Goebbels forced Jewish artists, musicians, actors, directors and newspaper and magazine editors into unemployment, and staged a public burning of books that were considered ”un-German.”’
New art, films and books praised Hitler and his opinions. Goebbels organized huge political gatherings at which Hitler was presented as the savior of a new Germany. Using the new power of cinema, he famously exploited the new media. Goebbels placed movie cameras and microphones at key positions to accentuate Hitler’s image and messages.
Propaganda
Meanwhile in the United Kingdom there were a variety of approaches to lift people for the war effort. A primary campaign used by the Ministry of Information was the ‘Anger Campaign’. The Anger Campaign aimed to bestow a shock that could wake the nation with what the MOI saw as a “dangerous complacency” with lines like, ‘The Hun is at the gate’, ‘He will rage and destroy, He will slaughter women and children’.
British broadcasters often used radio programs in Britain and overseas. Author of one such programme, JB Priestly said of the Nazi Germany,
“vast dark face with its broken promises and endless deceit, its swaggering Storm Troopers and dreaded Gestapo, its bloodstained basements”.
Stars of the time were also paid to lift spirits.Vera Lyn became the “Forces sweetheart”. “Lili Marlene” was the most popular song of World War II with both German and British forces. Based on a German poem, the song was recorded in both English and German versions. The poem was set to music in 1938 and was a hit with troops in the Afrika Korps. The song was used throughout the war as a propaganda tool.
