The Infiltration of German Propaganda Into American Culture

The Infiltration of German Propaganda Into American Culture

"Propaganda, propaganda, propaganda. All that matters is propaganda." -- Adolf Hitler (Welch ,1)

During World War II, propaganda saturated the eyes and ears of countless Germans. Films, such as Triumph of the Will declared the superiority of Hitler's ideas and hopes for the future, while posters increased the ever-rising nationalism of the public. Radio was a major part of everyday life and an inventive way to bring anti-Semitic discourse to the ordinary days of the people. Hitler knew how effective propaganda could be and conveyed that "propaganda for the masses had to be simple, it had to aim at the lowest level of intelligence, and it had to be reduced to easily learned slogans which then had to be repeated many times, concentrating on such emotional elements as love and hatred" (Welch, 3). In short, he had to circulate the kind of information that everyone would understand and remember. Today, people from the United States look at World War II with horror and disbelief, wondering just how could the Germans be so "brain washed" to agree that it was a good idea to kill off an entire culture? Many do not realize that Hitler's propaganda was so well thought out that his ideas had seeped into everything -- including American culture.

Although, the United States fought against the Nazi ideals, there were subtle ways that German ideas affected American society. A prime example of Hitler's propaganda that leaked into American society is the sample of anti-Semitic verse, simply titled "To the Tune of the Marine Hymn." This passage was circulated widely between civilians and soldiers in the United States during World War II and is sung to the tune of the Marine Hymn. It brilliantly plays on the stereotypes of the Jewish culture that were accepted by many as a reality.

By setting the passage to the tune of the Marine Hymn, this piece of propaganda gives American men a sense of nationalism, as well as a very familiar and catchy tune that will stay in their minds. The well-known melody helps to downplay the intolerance of Jews in the lyrics and it is easy for many people who are not paying attention to miss the stereotypes that are played out. Instead, there is almost a sense of comedy or a softening of the evil intentions of the appalling lyrics.

The lyrics of the song are ideas that were commonplace to the American population during the time of World War II.