Propaganda and Politics

historically speaking Propaganda – historically speaking Archaeological remains reveal thousands of years of the use of propaganda techniques.

WHY DO WE NEED TO KNOW HOW PROPAGANDA IS USED IN POLITICS?

Politics – the activities or affairs engaged in by a government, politician, or political party. What is politics?

Do you think it is fair to use propaganda techniques over important political issues? The worker image represents the repeated “hammering” of ideas, breaking down one’s own sense of truth or search for truth.

REMEMBER: Propaganda is the systematic effort to manipulate other people’s beliefs, attitudes, and/or actions. If you are being manipulated do you know the truth? Can you give examples of these things being used as propaganda? (These things can be used: words, gestures, banners, monuments, music, clothing, insignia, hairstyles, designs on coins and postage stamps, television programming, movies, and so forth.)

Is this propaganda? Explain. What is the message?

Is this propaganda? Explain. What is the message? Why do you think the government needed to promote women in the work place at this time?

Is this propaganda? Explain. What is the message? Why might a government want you to think the soldiers are helping?

“THE BIG LIE” Remember Josef Goebbels from the reading you were given earlier? He was the Nazi minister of propaganda. He believed that people would believe anything, no matter how blatantly false, as long as it was repeated consistently and confidently. Goebbels used this philosophy to promote the mass killing of millions of people with the approval of the public. A few of his posters follow.

Is this propaganda? Explain. What is the message? What if this wasn’t the will of most people? What if this was the will of only a few people who wanted to take control? How could the message in this be dangerous? “National Socialism: The Organized Will of the People”

Is this propaganda? Explain. What stereotypes are evident in this poster? What is the message? Hitler knew he needed to divide the people of Germany because he would never conquer a united group of people. How does this poster promote division? Notice the Marxist in the red hat and the Jewish man whispering in his ear. “The workers have awakened!:

Is this propaganda? Explain. The snake has the Jewish Star of David on the head. The words coming from the snake include: usury, unemployment, lies, betrayal, inflation, fear, war, and the names of prominent Jewish people involved in financial scandals. What is the message? What does the snake symbolize or suggest? Does this poster suggest that these things are bad? Does is suggest that under Nazi-Socialism these things will be gone? Are these loaded words with lots of emotions attached?

Is this propaganda? Explain. What is the message?

Remember: the opposite of propaganda is education, which tries to present all sides. You are less easily persuaded when you are educated about matters. Propaganda is only dangerous when the viewer doesn’t see it as propaganda but as fact. What would happen to the people of a nation if they didn’t value education or weren’t allowed to be educated? Why would this happen? Do you believe a group of people who wanted power might try to manipulate uneducated people to believe what they say? Why? In light of this information, why is it important to hold on to education?

How easy is it to break into YOUR brain?