War has endured as an intrinsic aspect of human civilization, tracing its roots back to and past prehistoric eras, and it can be argued that war is visible in the struggles of the natural world, such as the battles waged among ant species or lion prides. However, despite the longevity of war, propaganda is a somewhat new addition. Propaganda exists to sway public opinion on conflict or policies, either by showing the glory of one’s own morals, or the evils enabled by the enemy's. It is an artform that can be used or abused and has proved to be very powerful. If history is written by the victor, then propaganda is the prelude to that inevitability. That being said, Propaganda is not always effective and can be detrimental in more ways than one. So, let’s try and understand propaganda, it’s purpose, effective use, and especially it’s failures.
In the ancient world, propaganda was less motivated by war
and more created to lend credence to the reigning monarchs of the time. The
Egyptian pyramids, although not typically viewed as propaganda, are a clear
symbol of power and authority. The first instance of propaganda that we can
identify comes from the Romans, whose criers, the praeco, would spend hours
detailing recent battles fought by the empire. These criers were very important
to the state, "The function of the praeco often involved assembling,
organizing, and broadcasting information to crowds within Roman cities, whether
privately, (or as) a moderator(1)." However, the first propaganda put to
film, where the practice is most effective, was in the American film 'Birth of
a Nation'. The film was notably not propagandizing a state, but ironically, a
militia group called the Ku Klux Klan.
Nazi Germany would become known for perfecting the art of
propaganda, honing the medium down to a science. The propaganda was so
effective that its shadow still looms over us today. When most people envision
what Nazi Germany looked like, they imagine films of large tanks, artillery
systems, and young men in 'stahlhelms' charging into battle with an MG42 or an
MP40. 
“I will provide (you) a propagandistic (truth) ... it's credibility doesn't matter (as) the victor will not be asked whether he told the truth” (2)
The Nazis' crowning achievement in this was the film "Triumph of the Will" from 1935, regarded as one of, if not the most influential propaganda films ever screened. The movie is divided into four segments, 'days', each designed to convey a specific sentiment. Day one primarily showcases German beauty and love; Day two focuses on tradition and foundational government; Day three is about children and the future of Germany; Day four, the climax, is filled with familiar imagery of Nazi military strength and intimidation. The film covers many elements that would become hallmarks of propaganda moving forward, and from then on, all nations would look to Germany's powerful example, emulating the aspects that they felt best reflected their goals and aspirations.
A sobering example of the misapplication of propaganda use was
the search for WMD’s during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Although Saddam
Hussain and his government did appear outwardly to be capable of creating
nuclear or biological weapons the reality was that he had made no such weapons.
This failure sparked more confusion than anything. Ever since then people have wondered for years
if the weapons ever existed at all, if they were sold off, or if the Iraq government
had plans for weapons but had not yet created them. This stark discrepancy
ignited a conflagration of confusion and speculation that lingers even now. The propaganda was, initially, immensely
effective in drumming up fear and garnering support for the invasion but the subsequent
failure to find them was what would fail the mission in the eyes of the world. The
specified pledge of unearthing WMDs, rather than a vague insinuation, backfired
catastrophically on the Bush administration, rendering the propaganda effort
not only ineffectual but also discrediting and eroding future support for the continued
war(s) on terror.
One of the deadliest forms of failed propaganda belongs to China.
During the mid-20th century, China had become newly communist.
Partly to do with the ending of WW2, Japanese invasion and internal treachery
the CCP was able to take power headed by famous dictator Mao Zedong. Mao had visited the USSR and was aware of what
the US was capable of and Mao sought to modernize China to be similar. In what
would become the deadliest preventable famine the world has ever seen Mao
would utilize propaganda to spread the message of “progress” to his people. Be
it in films or the “little red book” the message was clear, there must be a
great leap forward into modernity. The propaganda asked unskilled rural farmers
to immediately transition into backyard steel millers, children to kill a
sparrow birds, and the educated to be forcefully “re-educated” by the mob.
Translated: Young Pioneers! Kids, do your part! (Poster asking kids to kill the sparrow.)
But the great leap forward stumbled, fell on its face and died.
The impromptu iron foundries belched out smoke and pollution, rendering the
previously fertile land barren while producing nothing of value. The sudden
vacuum of farmers triggered the beginning of the famine. The ill-conceived war
on sparrows had unforeseen consequences as well: with their natural predator
wiped out, locust swarms descended like a biblical plague, consuming what
little crops remained. As if that were not bad enough it took a while for these
events to be recorded and understood. This was because many of the educated had been re-educated so much that
they were dead. The great leap forward is rightly seen today by much of the
world as a giant step back after it left 55 million dead, wasted millions of
pounds of raw material, and caused the extinction of a species.
On a final, more humorous note China would again fail to
understand how to properly use propaganda in the creation of an internet cartoon that was
so egregious that it inspired me to create this paper. A series of short political
cartoons so bizarre and unhinged that it must be documented.
The series is known as the “Year Hare Affair”, the sickening
word alliteration being the least of its problems. The cartoon is aimed at
children, which is already kind of pathetic for propaganda, but it becomes
worse when you discover that the series fails to communicate its message so
badly that the villains appear to be the good guys. But I get ahead of myself,
the cartoon features a plethora of cute animal characters meant to represent different
nation states. The USA is the bald eagle, an obvious choice but understandable;
the UK is a buffalo for some reason; Arab states are all camels; Russia is a bear; China is a rabbit (hence the hare
part of the name) and the Koreans are worms or sticks depending on your interpretation.
CCP Hare being generally annoying
The episodes of the show are very loosely based on historical events, not just because the retelling of the vents is often fabricated but
also because the events are charged through the lens of the CCP’s insane recollection. Notably the episodes on the Korean war are the most watchable,
they have a coherent plot that, although highly inaccurate, could be understood
by a child. It opens with the Hare talking to some North Korean Worms (which is
a weird way to depict an ally). Hare confesses to the N.K. Worms that because Eagle controls the sky he is unable to bring the promised military
equipment needed to assist the war effort. This rightfully surprises the worms
who are now more scared than they were previously because their sole ally, Hare,
has proven that they an are unreliable partner. The Hare dismissably says that they will
win anyway. The following scene shows the Eagles bombing the Hares and worms
into oblivion, not out of malice but as a point of fact, before the next scene
begins. Unlike the communist animals that are infighting and unreliable the Eagles
are planning their next move, and they make the plan simple enough so that everyone
can understand it. As the plan progresses, many of the Eagles become emotional,
and express regret that they are unable to speak with their loved ones. The
commander of the Eagles takes a moment to comfort his troops and tells them “We
must forge our grief into strength”. With their charismatic leader guiding them
the Eagles attack and it proves to be successful against the Worms who are
forced to retreat.
(Side note: In a hypothetical War between Birds and Worms who do you imagine winning?)
When I watched this for the first time, I had to remind
myself that the cartoon was Chinese propaganda because the Americans are shown
in such a good light that it is near incomprehensible as propaganda. On the one
hand the argument can be made that the Chinese wish to show themselves as an
underdog, but they fail to show the audience how scrappy and resourceful the
underdog must be to succeed. These traits are what make an underdog story
appealing, and it seems that the creators of the cartoon do not understand that
reality. On the other hand, China may want to say that it is their allies inability
to wage war that kept them from being effective which is also just really
confusing and a terrible message considering that the Chinese lost between 130,000
and 400,000 men during the Korean war.
Meanwhile the Eagles are always optimistic, planning, and
emotionally intelligent. They fight hard and I dare say honorably as they treat
their enemies with respect and their allies well despite any shortcomings.
The cartoon goes on to many other parts of China’s history
and asserts a number of insane claims, such as the nuclear test ban treaty
between the US and Russia was somehow related to preventing China from creating
their own nuclear weapon. It
also presents a contradictory view by praising China for its strength and
courage in creating a nuclear weapon, while simultaneously suggesting that people who create nuclear
weapons do so out of weakness. The list goes on.
Womp Womp Sound Effect - YouTube
Sources
Disreputable Occupations in the Roman World
Strategic Denial and Deception - Google Books
Germany’s World War 2 Horses. I learned only very recently that… | by Adam Roberts | Adam’s Notebook | Medium
Great Leap Forward - Wikipedia
Four Pests campaign - Wikipedia
Hare | Year Hare Affair Wiki | Fandom
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