Jack Jones
DH-100
Final Paper
Others may argue that the types of propaganda used by The Allies and The Axis are different, but by looking at each side’s propaganda, we can see that the propaganda was very similar, which we otherwise might not see this; this is important because it helps us see the similarities between both sides.
When I first started researching the different types of propaganda being used and the different messaging, I thought there were major differences between The Allies and The Axis, but I was wrong. Both sides used posters and similar messaging, obviously in different languages. For example, Both the United States and Nazi Germany used recruitment posters to their own citizens to join their militaries. The leaders of each country also created an ultra-nationalist movement. Also, the United States put Japanese families into concentration camps as the Germans put Jews, Slavic’s, Blacks into their concentration camps. These examples are just a few examples of the many similarities that the Unites States and Nazi Germany had even though they were on opposite sides.
Both countries had strong militaries as Nazi Germany was ranked number 1 and the United States was ranked number 3, right behind the Soviet Union. They were also both anti-communist countries, while the United States sided with the Soviet Union during World War II, that was only to defeat the nazis. Also, both of their economies were in bad shape. The United States was still recovering from the Great Depression when it entered the war while Nazi Germanys economy was suffering from the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles is the main reason why the nazis took control of Germany.
There are obviously some major differences. For example, the United States had a democracy, and Nazi Germany had a fascist dictatorship. What does this mean, well the Germans would most likely be killed if they talked negatively about their own government as the people in the United States could freely talk negative about their own government without fearing consequences. The Germans were basically forced to look at Hitler as the god of Germany. They would refer to him as the Fuhrer and chant Heil Hitler. While in the United States the people just viewed him as another president, in meaning they did not see him above the law or see him as God. But Americans obviously saw him as a better president than the previous one Herbert Hoover.
The Germans were obviously the ones to start World War II when they invaded Poland and The United States sat out of the war until the Japanese Empire attacked pearl harbor. The United States sat out of the war because Americans did not want to join another war and get killed as WW1 had just ended just 21 years before WW2 started. The United States did not join until the Japanese Empire attacked pearl harbor on December 7, 1941, over 2 years since the war started.
Over the course of the war, the land that the nazis had gained in the beginning of the war had started to be been taken back from the Allies and after the battle of Stalingrad resulted in millions of Soviet losses, the Soviets won the battle and the amount of land the Germans controlled rapidly fell as the United States was coming from the south and the Soviets coming from the east. Towards the end of the war, enthusiasm for the Germans fell, many of them knew they could not win and many of the German troops tried to escape and run before as it was too late. As with the United States, enthusiasm was increasing as they started to win the war and by April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler had committed suicide followed by Joesph Goebbels the next day.
The Role of Propaganda in World War II
Propaganda was used by both sides to gain support and resources and boost morale. The Axis and Allies used posters, films, and radio broadcasts to communicate their messages. The role of the propaganda was to make clear distinctions between us and them. As a result, people viewed their enemies as inferior. The methods used were made to shape public perception, influence attitudes, and foster support for the war effort, and key strategies were emotional appeal, simplification, and repetition. The use of symbols and slogans were key for instant recognition.
Propaganda Used by the Allies
The Allies message towards their citizens was to warn about the dangers of The Axis and focused on patriotism and unity. The messages were created to show the values of democracy, freedom, and fight against tyranny. The media was the biggest broadcaster of propaganda as the media launched the propaganda through newspapers, radio, films, and posters. The radio was among the most popular as it broadcasted victories and immediate updates, it also promoted national pride. Films and documentaries created by Hollywood were also popular as they showed the heroism of soldiers and sacrifices of civilians. Printed media was crucial as it created mass propaganda and ensured the entire public got the same message.
The Poster we see here shows the types of posters the Allies created to create unity. This picture shows all the countries that are on or support the Allies together fighting for freedom against the Axis.
Propaganda Used by the Axis
The Axis used the same techniques with some differences. For example. The Axis controlled the media and what was shown to the public and the United States and The British Empire did not control the media and what was shown. The Axis made their citizens view their enemies as inferior. They used the same methods as the Allies, nationalism, film, radio, and printed media. The controlled media portrayed the German race as the superior race, with Fascist Italy do a similar thing. These techniques boosted morale, gained support, and created unification.
The poster we see here is a picture of Uncle Sam pointing his finger to the person looking at it and it says I Want You For the U.S. Army Enlist Now. This poster is trying to get Americans to support the United States by enlisting into the army.
This recruitment poster was posted by Nazi Germany and shows a Waffen SS soldier with the words “My Honor Is Loyalty” translated into German. This shows that both sides used recruitment posters.
Propaganda is always viewed differently depending on beliefs and where you live. For example, people in the United States and in countries where the government supported the Allies, the people would view the Allies as favorable as they would see the Axis attack their people and the people that lived in countries that supported the Axis saw the Axis as favorable. There is also the view of the Allies being the good guys because they were the ones who won, and their propaganda had the most meaningful impact. For example, if the Axis won WWII, people today may of viewed the Axis as the good guys and their propaganda may have had the most meaningful impact. We saw in the beginning stages of the war propaganda was working well on both sides but then as the war went on and the Axis lost territory and the Allies were closing up onto them, propaganda was less effective for the Axis as its people started to loose hope and for the Allies, more hope and excitement came as they were winning.
We can see the chart above showing the significantly larger death toll for Germany compared to the United States, now this doesn’t mean the United States was winning all along, but it can give us a hint as to why they lost. Germany started seeing an uptick in deaths after 1942 while the United States experienced a small increase of deaths throughout the war. One reason was that the United States joined later, a second reason was that Germany faced tough losses and a cold winter in the Soviet Union. A third reason was that Germany faced the British, Soviets, and Americans all at once.
This Timeline here shows the start and end dates for different battles, The first battle was the Battle of Westerplatte that started on September 1, 1939, and ended on September 7, 1939. Next on the list is Battle of El Alamein which Started on July 7, 1942, and ended on July 27,1942. The next one was the Battle of Stalingrad which started on July 17, 1942, and ended on February 2, 1943. The next one was the Battle of the Bulge which started on December 16, 1944, and ended on January 28, 1945. Finally, the last was the Battle of Berlin which started on April 16, 1945 and ended on May 2, 1945 which lead to Germany surrendering.
This pie chart shows the percentage of deaths each group represented. We can see that half of all WW2 deaths were civilians which was expected as the war took place in populated areas and many civilians were executed in the holocaust. We can see the second most was from the Allies which most of those were from the Soviet Union, and finally the third most was from the Axis military which most of those deaths came from Germany.
The scholarly article I read was about how a book talked about how appeasement was not a good attempt to secure peace with Germany. It only gave Germany time to build its military and start WW2 as the most powerful military in the world.
Conclusion
Both sides used the same propaganda tactics to unite and rally their people against their enemies, both sides had power and hope, and both sides viewed themselves as good guys. But only one side can win and the side that wins usually is viewed as the right side. You see propaganda work well on both sides in the beginning but as the war progresses the losing side loses hope and the winning side gains hope.
Works Cited
Editorial Team. (2024, July 2). The powerful role of World War II and propaganda in shaping history. Total Military Insight. https://totalmilitaryinsight.com/world-war-ii-and-propaganda/
PBS. (n.d.). World War II propaganda. American Experience. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goebbels-propaganda/ Ridley, N. (2022). Reading Hitler’s Mind: The Intelligence Failure that Led to WW2. Pen and Sword. https://www.torrossa.com/it/resources/an/5277964
Ridley, N. (2022). Reading Hitler’s Mind: The Intelligence Failure that Led to WW2. Pen and Sword. https://www.torrossa.com/it/resources/an/5277964