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Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class,or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.

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Kristallnacht definition, a Nazi pogrom throughout Germany and Austria on the night of November 9-10, 1938, during which Jews were killed and their property destroyed. See more.

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I n this novel ,discrimination will change two little boy 's destiny which brings them to their death. In this book the audience will explore the discrimination from Germany(Nazi) toward the...

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McMaster University Library, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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As history has tragically shown, anti-Semitism was rampant in Germany and Nazi-occupied territories in the early-mid 20th century. The items displayed here include correspondence from the Jewish ghetto in Otwock, Poland; books on supposed Jewish conspiracies; a broadside from occupied France ordering Jews to register with the authorities; and Stars of David worn by Polish and French Jews.

Also on display are several items on loan from Madeleine and Monte Levy, including the infamous children's books Der Giftpilz ( The Poisonous Mushroom) and Trau Keinem Fuchs ( Trust not the fox), and notgeld or "emergency money".

Books intended for Children

Der Giftpilz (The Poisonous Mushroom), 1938.
Story by Julius Streicher, illustrations by Fips.
On loan from Madeleine and Monte Levy.

Trau Keinem Fuchs (Trust not the fox by field or pond, nor any Jew upon his bond), 1936. Written by Elvira Bauer, published by Julius Streicher.
On loan from Madeleine and Monte Levy.

Books intended for Adults

Julius Streicher, Kampf dem Weltfeind, Nurnberg, 1938.
Anti-semitic speeches and writings by leading Nazi.
On loan from Madeleine and Monte Levy.

Der Untermensch.
Magazine contrasting German Aryans with "der untermensch"--the "sub-human" Jews and other undesirables.
On loan from Madeleine and Monte Levy.

Die Judenfrage im Unterricht, 1937.
On loan from Madeleine and Monte Levy.

Ernest F. Elmhurst. The World Hoax. Asheville: Pelley, 1939.

Correspondence from the Jewish Ghetto in Otwock, Poland

Located south of Warsaw, Otwock had a large Jewish community. The Nazis imposed a ghetto in Otwock in the fall of 1940. More than 12,000 Jews resided in the ghetto. Two thousand Jews died of hunger, and another 2,000 were shot during the ghetto's liquidation in August 1942. Most of the remaining residents of the ghetto were sent to Treblinka concentration camp.

Postcards from Syma Grzebieniarz, Otwock, Poland, to H.D. Schwartz, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1941. In Polish.

Letter in Yiddish, 20 March [1948], recounting the unknown writer's experience of the Otwock ghetto.

It speaks of conditions in the ghetto, neighbours who were killed by the Germans, the constant threat of being shot, fleeing the ghetto and attempting to locate people who are lost.

Jewish Book Documenting Atrocities

Stars of David

Broadside

Ville de Champigny-sur-Marne. Avis aux Israelites.

Small broadside signed by the mayor Gaston Chardin and dated September 26, 1940.

The text states:

Les Israelites will have to present themselves, with identity papers, at the City Hall of Champigny before October 2nd, last delay, in order to fill out a registration form. Persons failing to obey this order within the prescribed period will expose themselves to the most severe measures.

Notgeld - German for "Emergency Money" or "necessity money"

On loan from Madeleine and Monte Levy.

During the early 20th century special money was issued in several countries, but primarily Germany and Austria, to deal with economic crisis situations. There was a shortage of small change, due to the need for metal to be used for the war effort rather than for coinage. This emergency money was not issued by the central bank but by various other institutions, e.g. town savings banks, municipalities, private and state-owned firms. It was therefore not legal tender, but rather a mutually accepted means of payment in a particular locale or site. (from Wikipedia).

As this exhibit depicts, much of the German and Austrian notgeld was anti-semitic in nature.

Brakel.

1921 2 Mark.

A Jew is chained around the neck to a pillar, while on the back a Jew holds a baby out a window over a German.

Bremen.

1921 German series 50 Pfennig, 1, 2, 5 Mark.

Issued on German Day, this note is known as the Elders of Zion and features 5 Jewish businessmen sitting around a table, "conspiring to gain control of global economics".

Glauchau in Saxony.

1921 3 Mark.

Celebrating German Culture but at the same time lamenting the troubles brought on the country after the First World War. Depicts a cavorting lady with Jewish types dancing around the column.

Meggenhofen.
1921 Set of 3 Austrian notes, 30, 40 and 80 Heller in Green.
On the left we see an old Jew walking with a bag labeled "Hargeld" (gold and silver coins) in the direction of Switzerland. Above we see the dates 1914-1919 and "Ursache" and "Folgen". Cause and Consequences. On the right side, we see a plane dumping out lots of paper money over towns and cities and the year 1921. The meaning of this notes is certainly clear. Jews absconded with the hard money during WWI from Austria and the result is the hyper inflation now affecting Austria.

Ribnitz. 1921 10, 25, 50 Pfennig notes.

A young Jewish man, the devil as a Jew and a goat butting a well dressed Jewish businessman.

1922 Set of 3 100 Pfennig notes.
Sternberg.

These were printed in 1922 in the city of Sternberg in Germany to commemorate the anniversary of the burning at the stake in 1492 of a number of Jews for the practice of adding Christian children's blood to their matzo recipe. The drawings on the money are copies of original wood blocks made at the time (1492). The first shows the Jews adding the blood to the matzoh. The second shows the Jews being burned at the stake. The third shows a local priest offering the wafer to the Jews as a sign of conversion to Christianity which they refuse.

Tostedt.
50 Pfennig 1921.

Depicts 2 Jewish profiteers being hung from a tree.

The Ghetto Notes of Theresienstadt.

The Nazis set aside an outside area of Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia for their "model" ghetto to be used for propaganda purposes. It was shown off to the outside world to as an example of Nazi largess and was intended to thwart further outside inquiry. Within this serene façade lay the real concentration camp of sixty thousand Jews.

To create the effect of a model ghetto with a thriving economy the SS had special ghetto money printed. This local ghetto currency consisted of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 kronen notes. Each note was given the heading Quittung (coupon) for so many kronen. The notes were complete with series and serial numbers. All are dated 1 January 1943. The front of the note contained the Jewish six-pointed star, the place of issue (Theresienstadt) and the facsimile signature of the Jewish Elder Edelstein. The back of the notes carried a portrait of Moses holding the Ten Commandments within an oval. In the portrait Moses' hand covers up the commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill". In an effort to make the notes sound convincing the following text was added: Wer diese quitting verfalscht oder nachmacht oder gefalschte quittungen in verkehr bringt wird strengstens besttraft" (Whoever alters or counterfeits this note will be severely punished).

Of course, there was no Theresienstadt bank and there was no backing for the notes. Having fulfilled their propaganda role, they were worthless and could buy nothing. The Jews made use of them in their card games.

A total of 139,000 Jews passed through Theresienstadt on their way to Auschwitz. In May 1945 the ghetto and its remaining 17,320 inhabitants were liberated.

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Anti-Semitism of the 1920's, 30's and 40's

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As history has tragically shown, anti-Semitism was rampant in Germany and Nazi-occupied territories in the early-mid 20th century. The items displayed here include correspondence from the Jewish ghetto in Otwock, Poland; books on supposed Jewish conspiracies; a broadside from occupied France ordering Jews to register with the authorities; and Stars of David worn by Polish and French Jews.

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Created By Jaedyn Redin

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Created By Jaedyn Redin

The Aryan race was what Adolf Hitler considered to be the Superior race.  People of Aryan Race came from Europe and Western Asia.  Hitler and his followers discriminated against those who were not Aryan Race. Hitler considered those of Aryan blood superior from the other races. Stating that the Aryan race is superior was a tactic that Hitler used to increase propaganda and nationalism towards the German people. Creating a sense of nationalism would cause those to be more likely to support Adolf Hitler's cause because of their sharing of love towards their country. Through using this tactic, Hitler was able to gain support from many of his peers and people around him. This made it much easier for him to increase power amongst the German and Jewish people.

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How was propaganda used in World War 2? By Praaneel Prasanna

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How was propaganda used in World War 2? By Praaneel Prasanna

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From the beginning of World war One, both sides of the conflict used propaganda to shape international opinion. The propaganda was used till the end of World War 2. Governments during the First World War devoted massive resources and huge amounts of effort to producing material designed to shape opinion and action internationally. The efforts of states to justify their actions, and to build international support, resulted in some of the most powerful propaganda ever produced. They also shaped attitudes towards propaganda itself in the years following the end of the War.

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Propaganda as a weapon? Influencing international opinion

From the beginning of World War One, both sides of the conflict used propaganda to shape international opinion. Curator Ian Cooke considers the newspapers, books and cartoons produced in an attempt to influence both neutral and enemy countries.

Governments during the First World War devoted massive resources and huge amounts of effort to producing material designed to shape opinion and action internationally. The efforts of states to justify their actions, and to build international support, resulted in some of the most powerful propaganda ever produced. They also shaped attitudes towards propaganda itself in the years following the end of the War.

'Are we afraid? No!' A propaganda postcard depicting the British Empire

'Are we afraid? No!' - British propaganda showing the British Bulldog, with five others representing Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and New Zealand.

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Influencing the news

One of the first actions carried out by Britain at the start of the war was to cut Germany's under-sea communication cables, ensuring that Britain had a monopoly on the fastest means of transmitting news from Europe to press agencies in the United States of America. Influencing the reporting of the war around the world, with the aim of gaining support and sympathy, was an important objective for all states. In Britain, a secret organisation, Wellington House, was set up in September 1914, and called on journalists and newspaper editors to write and disseminate articles sympathetic to Britain and to counter the statements made by enemies. As well as placing favourable reports in the existing press of neutral countries, Wellington House printed its own newspapers for circulation around the world. Illustrated news, carrying drawings or photographs, was viewed as particularly effective. By December 1916, the War Pictorial was running at a circulation of 500,000 copies per issue, in four editions covering 11 languages. The Chinese-language Cheng Pao had a fortnightly circulation of 250,000 issues, and was described as having 'such a powerful effect upon the masses that the Chinese government were able to declare war against Germany'.

World War One atrocity propaganda was a specific propaganda technique that sought to garner support for war and provide a moral explanation for it, by highlighting the crimes and atrocities committed by the of the enemy. Professor Jo Fox discusses a number of atrocities utilised by propagandists, such as the invasion of Belgium in 1914, the execution of Edith Cavell and the sinking of the Lusitania. Using British Library collection items such as the Bryce Report, Professor Fox discusses the techniques used by propagandists, their validity as historical sources and their legacy in the inter-war years and beyond.

German and British covert propaganda

In addition to press reporting, states attempted to influence opinion using a wide range of pamphlets, cartoons, and longer books. German efforts in the USA centred on the production of vast numbers of publications through existing German cultural institutions. The War Plotters of Wall Street, published in 1915, is an example of this type of propaganda. It tells of a plot by unscrupulous financiers to draw the USA into a war which would be against its own interests and ruinous to its economy. The book warned Americans against financial support for Britain, arguing that loans would never be repaid.

However, German propaganda tended to lack subtlety, and the use of organisations such as The Fatherland Corporation as publishers often gave the game away. British efforts, directed through Wellington House for most of the war, took a different approach. Commercial publishers were used to give the impression that works were produced independently of state direction. Books and pamphlets were published in huge numbers and circulated to lists of people identified as opinion makers sympathetic to Britain. The intention was that popular support for Britain would be built through local advocates rather than appearing to come from Britain directly.

The English Beast by Count Paul von Hoensbroech

The English Beast, a propagandist pamphlet produced shortly after the war in Germany. The image shows England as a monstrous giant squid, lying on a bed of money and choking the globe with its twisting tentacles.

My Mission to London, by the German Prince Lichnowsky

My Mission to London, written in 1916 by Prince Lichnowsky, sets out a criticism of German foreign policy towards England. It was reprinted in large numbers by Wellington House.

Official propaganda

In some cases, this covert activity would be supported through more overt official messages, where this might lend further weight. The 1915 British Parliamentary publication, Report of the Committee on Alleged German Outrages (the 'Bryce Report') was an attempt by the government to set out its justification for war, and to give credibility to stories of German atrocities in Belgium and France. The report, widely circulated alongside Wellington House propaganda, was based on testimony from refugees from Belgium and France, and was later criticised for its uncritical treatment of sources.

The Bryce report: Committee on alleged German outrages

Report of the committee led by Viscount Bryce, assessing 'alleged German outrages', 1915.

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Exploiting mistakes made by the enemy

British propaganda aimed at neutral countries also made effective use of Germany's misfortunes or misjudgements during the war. In 1916, an independent German artist created a small number of medals to commemorate the anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania. The medals focused on German justifications for the act (which had claimed 1,198 lives), alleging that the passenger liner had been carrying weapons for Allied forces. The medal was found by British agents, and hundreds of thousands of copies were made and circulated to highlight the 'barbarity' of the enemy.

Most damaging of all was the 'Zimmerman telegram', a German diplomatic communication which was uncovered in 1917 by British intelligence. The telegram contained details of German plans in the event of the USA joining the war on the Allied side. It envisaged an offer to Mexico of territory including the states of Texas and Arizona in return for declaring war on the USA. Although the American President, Woodrow Wilson, had probably already decided to commit to war before the contents of the telegram were known, their subsequent publication ensured public support.

French poster 'The voice of the ruins'

'La voix des ruines' ('The voice of the ruins'), a poster from 1918 blaming the destruction of French soil on Germany.

Propaganda against enemy armed forces

Alongside attempts to influence public opinion in neutral countries, propaganda was also used directly against enemies. From the start of the war, aeroplanes and balloons were used by all sides to drop leaflets and posters over fighting forces and civilians.

On the Western Front, the German publication, the Gazette des Ardennes, was intended in part to engender French and Belgian civilian hostility to British forces. It was countered by the British publication Le Courrier de l'Air. As well as publications in French and Flemish, German propaganda included material written in Urdu, aimed at Indian regiments fighting in Europe. These leaflets and posters played on resentments of British rule in India, and attempted to persuade soldiers to stop fighting or join with German troops.

The impact of international propaganda

The impact of this propaganda on fighting forces is hard to assess. Leaflets and posters were certainly circulated in vast numbers by all sides, and captured troops were often found to have leaflets in their possession, despite the harsh penalties imposed for doing so. There were also reports of leaflets being exchanged for money.

Certainly, contemporary commentators were impressed, and sometimes horrified, by the effectiveness of propaganda in influencing public opinion. In the years immediately following the war, the exaggerated reports of German and Austrian treatment of civilians were denounced as 'atrocity propaganda'. In the USA, the opinion that the country had been 'duped' into joining the war influenced isolationist policies. Both Lenin and Hitler were convinced of the significance of propaganda in ensuring success. Perhaps the most damaging legacy was the myth that gained currency in Germany that the war had been lost not on the battlefield, but through the influence of foreign propaganda on the German people.

Ligue Souvenez-vous

A booklet and stamps produced by the French league, Souvenez-vous (French for 'remember'), which aimed to perpetuate the memory of German crimes after the war.

Footnotes

[1]The National Archives INF 1/317 Home Publicity during the 1914-1918 War

[2] Propaganda leaflet dropped on Indian regiments fighting in France. Berlin?, c.1915. The British Library PP Urdu 37

Ian Cooke is Lead Curator for International and Political Studies at the British Library. He has worked in academic and research libraries for 17 years, and is on the editorial team for the journal African Research and Documentation. In 2013, he co-curated the British Library exhibition Propaganda Power and Persuasion.

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Propaganda as a weapon? Influencing international opinion | The British Library

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By using this site, you agree we can set and use cookies. For more details of these cookies and how to disable them, see our cookie policy. Propaganda as a weapon? Influencing international opinion From the beginning of World War One, both sides of the conflict used propaganda to shape international opinion.

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To leave one country or region to settle in another; migrate.

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Emigrate definition, to leave one country or region to settle in another; migrate: to emigrate from Ireland to Australia. See more.

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The Nazis discriminated a lot of people, not just Jews. Some of the other Holocaust victims were Gypsies, Slavs, Russians, Poles, and other Europeans that interfered with the Nazis' actions. The victims were the people who interfered with the Nazis', the Nazi's didn't fear attacking people who disagreed with them. The Nazis' killed other Europeans to show power and dominance.

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Created By Jaedyn Redin

Nuremberg laws were laws that did not allow anyone of Jewish descent to be granted citizenship in Germany.  The Nuremberg laws also permitted any relationships to be made with anyone who had "Jewish Blood".  The Nuremberg Laws segregated Jews from Germans and allowed the public to discriminate against the Jews because of their race.  In order to increase power over the German people, Hitler depended on a scapegoat.  Hitler then began to cause separation between the Jewish and German people by creating laws that would make those who were apart of the Jewish community feel isolated from the rest of the people around them. Through isolation, Adolf Hitler was able to increase maximum power during World War Two.

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How was the propaganda used to convince people against those that Nazi  wanted to separate? By Praneel Prasanna, Jack Vedder

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How was the propaganda used to convince people against those that Nazi  wanted to separate? By Praneel Prasanna, Jack Vedder

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During active American involvement in World War II , propaganda was used to increase support for the war and commitment to an Allied victory. It was also used to maintain the cult of personality around Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, and to promote campaigns for eugenics and the annexation of German-Speaking areas. It promoted the values asserted by the Nazis, including heroic death. This promoted Nazi ideology by demonizing the enemies of the Nazi Party, notably Jews and communists, but also capitalists and intellectuals.

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The propaganda of the National Socialist German Workers' Party regime that governed Germany from 1933 to 1945 promoted Nazi ideology by demonizing the enemies of the Nazi Party, notably Jews and communists, but also capitalists and intellectuals.

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A program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate people based on their membership in a religious, ethnic, social, or racial group.

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Persecution definition, the act of persecuting. See more.

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Kristallnact is a Nazi organized killing and destruction of Jews and their property on November 9-10, 1938, in Germany through Austria. After the Kristallnact, conditions for Jews became worse and many planned to escape.

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Created By Jaedyn Redin

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Jack Vedder, Praaneel Prasanna, Audrey Larkin, Anthony Alcantara, Samantha Linow, Jaedyn Redin

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Anti-Semitism means racial prejudice againist Jews. When things went wrong in society- a bad crop, a plague, economic crisis like the Great Depression- the Jews were blamed. In the 1920's, several German groups falsely blamed the Jews for thier countries defeat in World War 1 and for setbacks in the following decades. The most popular group for this was Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. There was a distinction that Jews weren't real Germans, they belonged to a different race. Jews could not choose to believe in Judaism, or have the life they wanted, the Nazis refused to accept any of this. The Jews would wear Star of David on thier clothes to differentiate  them from others.