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CRITICAL THINKING
+%9
STANDARD3
Propaganda:
What Makes It Tick
Why was Adolf Hitler able to achieve such a hold
over the German people? In part, it was because Nazi
Party officials were masters at propaganda—the
spreading of ideas to aid or attack a cause, often by
using false or exaggerated information.
The Nazis churned out a steady stream of posters,
pamphlets, and other media with a powerful central
message: Germany is in grave danger from its enemies
and can be saved by only one man, the Führer.
RI6.7, RH8
Although the Nazis were particularly good at using
it, propaganda has been around forever. Regardless
of its origins, this means of persuasion uses the same
basic techniques to get its point across. Here are
five of the most common ones. Think about them as
you examine a message from any country, company,
or political candidate. Is it manipulating fact or
falsehood? If so, how? What is its real message? What
is it not telling you?
Glittering Generalities
Transfer
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Wnjh^c\VheZX^[^X¹k^gijZldgYº¸peace!
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Fear
Plain Folks
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l^i]]^hhaZZkZhgdaaZYje#He’s just like you!^hi]Z
bZhhV\Z#He’s just plain folks#
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bZhhV\Z/Only [fill in the blank]
can save us from the worst to come.
Bandwagon
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eZdeaZVgZh]dlcYd^c\WdaYi]^c\h!VcYi]ZbZhhV\Z^h/Everyone’s on board! Where are you?
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®
SKILLS SHEET
Name:
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Uses: copy machine, opaque projector, or transparency master for overhead projector. Scholastic Inc. grants teacher-subscribers to Junior Scholastic permission to reproduce this page for use in their classrooms. ©2014 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
Analyzing Propaganda
During World War II, posters and other forms of
popular art were a major means of persuasion. Here
are two examples. The first is a Nazi poster showing
an idealized youth holding a swastika flag. It says,
“The German Student Fights for the Führer and the
People in the Team of NSD-Student Alliance.”
The second is a 1942 poster from the U.S. Treasury
Department. It seeks to convince Americans to buy
bonds, which the government used to finance the war
effort. Both pieces of art use the swastika, an ancient
symbol of good fortune that was adopted by the Nazis.
Study both images, then answer the questions.
Questions
1. =dlYdZhi]ZCVo^edhiZgjhZglittering generalitiesid\Zi^ih
ed^ciVXgdhh4=dl^h^iWZ^c\Y^h]dcZhi4
__________________________________________________________
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2. =dlYdZhZVX]Vgildg`jhZi]ZiZX]c^fjZd[transfer4
__________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________
Translation, top to bottom:I]Z<ZgbVcHijYZci
;^\]ih[dgi]Z;“]gZgVcYi]ZEZdeaZ^ci]ZIZVb
d[CH9"HijYZci6aa^VcXZ
3. L]ViYdZhi]ZhlVhi^`V^ci]ZlVgWdcYhedhiZggZegZhZci4
L]ViiZX]c^fjZd[egdeV\VcYV^hWZ^c\jhZY4=dlldjaYndj
hjbjei]ZedhiZg¼hbZhhV\Z4
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
4. L]ZgZYdZhi]Zplain folksYZk^XZVeeZVg^ci]ZlVgWdcYh
edhiZg4L]ViZbdi^dchYdndji]^c`^ib^\]i]VkZig^\\ZgZY^c
^ihVjY^ZcXZ4
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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TOP: ©THE GRANGER COLLECTION, NEW YORK/THE GRANGER COLLECTION;
BOTTOM: UNITED STATES TREASURY DEPARTMENT
5. L]^X]d[i]ZhZildedhiZghjhZhi]ZbandwagoniZX]c^fjZ
bdgZhjXXZhh[jaan4=dlYdZh^iYdi]Vi4
__________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________
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?JC>DGH8=DA6HI>8™H:EI:B7:G&!'%&)™E6<:'D;(
®
SKILLS SHEET
Name:
Date:
Uses: copy machine, opaque projector, or transparency master for overhead projector. Scholastic Inc. grants teacher-subscribers to Junior Scholastic permission to reproduce this page for use in their classrooms. ©2014 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
At the Movies
During World War II, movies were all the rage,
and propaganda was big on the big screen. Many
of Hollywood’s top names did their bit for the U.S.
war effort—even cartoon characters, like Walt
Disney’s Donald Duck in The Spirit of ’43 (1943).
This cartoon encourages Donald to “fight the Axis”
(Nazi Germany and its allies, Italy and Japan).
The Nazis made their propaganda into a
work of art in Triumph of the Will, a full-length
documentary. The film captured a massive Nazi
Party rally staged in 1934 especially for the
cameras. This clip shows the first five minutes.
FILM CLIP 1:
https://archive.org/details/TheSpiritOf43_56
FILM CLIP 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXST0wF5T4s
Questions
1. L]ViZbdi^dchdgVii^ijYZhVgZi]Zild[^abh
ign^c\idheVg`^ci]Z^gVjY^ZcXZh4=dlVgZi]Z^g
i^iaZhh^\c^[^XVci4
______________________________________________
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2. I]Z9dcVaY9jX`XVgiddcgZeZViZYanjhZhi]Z
iZX]c^fjZd[transferWnZfjVi^c\XZgiV^chnbWdah
l^i]\ddYdgZk^a#;^cYildZmVbeaZh#
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
3. =dlYdZhi]ZXVgiddcjhZhad\Vchid]VbbZg^ih
bZhhV\Z]dbZ4;^cYdcZZmVbeaZ#L]Vi`^cYd[
egdeV\VcYViZX]c^fjZ^h^i4
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4. I]Z<ZgbVc[^abXdchiVcianh]dlheZdeaZ^ci]Z
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5. 9dndji]^c`i]ZhZildldg`hd[egdeV\VcYVlZgZ
Z[[ZXi^kZl^i]i]Z^gVjY^ZcXZh4LdjaYi]ZnWZ
Z[[ZXi^kZl^i]idYVn¼hVjY^ZcXZh4:meaV^c#
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