Germany at War - WWII

Propaganda - Propaganda is a class of advertising that commonly involves either the degrading or enhancing of the image of the intended target, through fact, opinion, and/or rumor.

The above propaganda, created by the Nazi Political Party in Germany in 1941, was likely created in order to promote their campaign through the Soviet Union. I believe this for several reasons. The most obvious and prominent indication is the strong caricature of Joseph Stalin, dictator of the Soviet Union, and the giant armored fist that has already punched Stalin with an uppercut (so it seems). The fist is a simple symbol representing the German Army, and the fact that it is armored shows its strength and power over the other. The fist’s size also contributes to the overall view of the German Army, since it occupies a considerable portion of Europe (from the picture, it seems to be over Poland, and France). Another reason is the contrast in colors of the nations at war. Most of Europe is depicted in a faint yellow color, representative of Germany. Britain, however, is faded and brown, with an emphasized cross reading “W CHURCHILL”, pointing to the fact that Britain has fallen, or possibly that its death is inevitable. However, there are marks of red on Britain, suggesting that it has taken hits from Germany already. But note how the island to the left of Britain is also yellow, which probably means that Germany did not wish to control Britain, but it did want control over the island next to it. Then comes the Soviet Union, whose nation is represented by the red color signature to the soviets. While the rest of Europe is in yellow, under Germany’s control, the Soviet Union is the only that hasn’t been conquered. The poster justifies all of the imagery mentioned with the three objects within Germany’s territory, behind the fist. These are a baby’s cradle, a factory, and a farmland. The baby’s cradle is symbolic of life in Germany, and the security of its people. The factory’s symbolism is clear: it is the industry of Germany. And the last is the farmland, symbolic of Germany’s general prosperity and land. Because food is often seen as critical aspect for success in any civilization, it capitalized in this poster with the farmland symbolism. The fact that these icons are placed behind the fist might indicate that these are what make the foundation of the purpose of Germany’s Army in invading the Soviet Union.

What wraps up the entire poster into one central theme is the quote at the bottom of the poster, which reads “Europas sieg dein wohlstand”. This translates to “Of Europe’s victory your prosperity”, which basically refers to Germany, since Europe happens to be all under its hold. If Germany were to defeat the Soviet Union, which is the goal of the Germany Army, it would result in greater security, more land, more food, and more industry.