Sinister Side of Propaganda

Information transmitted by language is full of nuance and complexity. Words have connotations. Propaganda is the use of language to manipulate an audience. "Manipulation" itself has a negative connotation. Too often in the history of mankind propaganda has been a tool in the political power struggle to control populations. Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia are prime 20th-century examples. In both of these societies, writers and artists were used strategically to stir fear in the general populace. Fear is the touchstone of propaganda. Hate is often the result.

The following video is a bit ironic. The juxtaposition of Nazi and Soviet posters points out the common use of propaganda, and similar images and ideas. However, the video itself is a piece of propaganda.

Watch the following video and ask yourself, What is the primary purpose of this video?

Claiming that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union shared a common ideology is a misleading simplification and another example of propaganda. The Soviet Union perceived the Germans as their most obvious threat.

View the video of cartoons from World War II.

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