Adolf Hitler's Use Of Propaganda During World War II

“By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise,” Adolf Hitler once declared. In the lexicon, propaganda means “information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement...” (Dictionary.com). During World War 2, most of the countries exhibited some form of it because as Hitler explained, it could easily influence people, and they used it as a weapon of war. However, although propaganda in the Second World War was beneficial, it wasn’t a morally correct way to gain support from people for their countries.
To begin with, propaganda impacted racism. A 1942 poster, This is the Enemy, was meant “to embody the entire Japanese

nation as a ruthless and animalistic enemy that needed to be defeated” (Miles). After the attack of Pearl Harbor, the US loathed Japan, but with these extra posters acting like fuel to the fire, it made them despise the Japanese more. Because the Americans’ blood boiled, they took out their detestation on anything related to the Japanese race, including immigrants living in their very own country. Additionally, over in Germany, “Nazi propagandists portrayed Jews as an ‘alien race’ that fed off the host nation [and] poisoned its culture” (Defining the Enemy). The Germans’ abomination for the Jews caused them to act as the superior group and forced the Jews into concentration camps. There, the Jews had to tolerate torture and most died just because of the influence of the racist propagandists. Clearly, due to the power of the advertising, racial viewpoints were greatly affected.
Propaganda also enforced brainwashing and used bandwagon to persuade its readers to participate in the war effort.

According to an article, the posters “used words as ammunition [such as] ‘When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler’” (Uncle Sam Wants You! The Propaganda Posters of WWII). With the combination of an unpleasant figure - Hitler - and intimidating language, it subconsciously places abhorrence and disgust into the Americans’ minds. In a way, that is brainwashing and therefore isn’t right. Another poster cajoled readers to “[b]ring him home sooner [by] join[ing] the waves” (www.loc.gov/pictures/item/92509775/). This motto uses bandwagon, a concept where individuals will do something since others are doing it, as it wants people to join the waves, or the war effort. An analogy to the concept is peer pressure because most people don’t want to feel socially out of place, so propagandists take advantage of that to influence them. Due to the fact that these examples are similar in nature to brainwashing and peer pressure, propaganda is not

ethical.
One might object that since propaganda provides a sense of unity and motivates citizens, it shouldn’t be a problem.

However the information spread that amalgamates and inspires citizens could actually be fabrications. For example, in order “[t]o present [Germany’s invasion into Poland] as a… defensive action, the German Press played up ‘Polish atrocities’” (Deceiving the Public). In other words, Germany made themselves sound like the pitiful victim who wanted revenge so that people would think of their deed as justifiable. Even though citizens became motivated and unified for their country’s undertaking, it doesn’t change the fact that the Germans still conned them into supporting a wrong cause. On the Allied Power’s side, “[t]he [British Political Warfare Executive] delivered subversive messages to the German people through… black propaganda” (World War II Propaganda). Black propaganda is essentially false information spread with the purpose of sabotage, so if anyone used it, it’s simply plain dishonesty. If countries wanted to sway the public, they should at least be genuine about it. After all, honesty is the best

policy.
In summation, the propaganda used in World War 2 was not the right, or ethical, way to encourage support regardless of its powerful results. Not only did it promote racism, but it also brainwashed and deceived people. Even though it may be effective, propaganda should have been executed in a way that wouldn’t hurt others such as being truthful for a start. Perhaps if it were done properly among the many countries who used it, the outcome of the war would’ve ended sooner.