Racism and Propaganda
Fostering hatred of the enemy is a key element of propaganda. Showing enemies as monsters or caricatures, with certain exaggerated physical features, makes them seem less than human. By dehumanizing the enemy, propaganda helped form and maintain public opinion, solidifying a sense of national identity and unity.
The idea that particular ethnic or religious groups or nations did not belong (making them into the “other”) also helped to pave the way for inhumane treatment of the enemy. In Germany, the pervasive use of anti-Semitic propaganda helped set the stage for the Nazis' destruction of Jews in Europe. Japan's propaganda promoted Japanese racial superiority and ridiculed the Allies as "barbarians." In America, prejudice against the Japanese led to the internment of people of Japanese descent—most of them U.S. citizens—depriving them of their liberty and livelihood.
Consider how the portrayal of the enemy in the examples on this page helped further the causes of World War II while promoting racist stereotypes.
Germany had a long tradition of suspicion and hatred of Jews. Despite being citizens, Jews had endured centuries of attacks in Germany and throughout Europe. The campaign to stir up hatred of the Jews began once again in Germany in the 1920s. Jews were often depicted as evil, lazy, stingy criminals who were conspiring to take over Germany. Hitler blamed them for the country’s economic problems.
Left: An anti-Semitic exhibit, “The Eternal Jew,” opened in Germany in 1937, with a stereotypical image of a Jew as greedy, slovenly, and communist.
Right: This German plaque forbids Jews from using park benches. (Translation: "Jews are forbidden to use the park bench.") Nazis characterized Jews as “disgusting” and prohibited physical contact with them.
Left: Japanese poster showing Churchill and Roosevelt as monsters. (Translation: “The true beasts are those who say ‘peace’ and speak of a just humanity.”)
Center: Anti-Japanese propaganda in the United States.
Right: Axis “brutes”—Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo—on a U.S. envelope.
Take Notes
- In the images of racist propaganda on this page, what characterizations are used to portray the subject(s) as the "other" or evil?
- List one or two examples of how the notion of the “other” and racist stereotyping have been used in the United States, past or present. What parallels can you find between those uses and the World War II propaganda you have seen so far?
