Lurking in the Shadows

World War II Propaganda Posters: The Key to Understanding Our Complicated Past

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Thesis
Historical Context
Lurking in the Shadows
Careless Talk
Masculinity in Propaganda
Racism in Propaganda
Conclusion
Research

Lurking in the Shadows

“It is the absolute right of the state to supervise the formation of public opinion.”

- Joseph Goebbels

These posters all attempt to use the public’s fear to their advantage. What’s especially important about them is that they portray the enemy as “lurking in the shadows.” The first poster displays the Jew as concealed by curtains, which represent the Allied powers of the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union. At the time, antisemitism was soaring in Germany, which meant that the artist who designed the propaganda could be confident that it increased German pride.

Source: Google Arts and Culture and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Source: National Archives.

The second poster depicts lurking by portraying Hitler as transparent and making the driver seem inattentive to Hitler’s presence. It uses this technique to convey the importance of conserving rubber and gas by ride-sharing.

The third poster accomplished the lurking effect by portraying the Japanese and Germans as skulking over the world. This poster distinguishes itself by directing hatred towards groups rather than individuals. It must be presumed that the use of anti-Japanese sentiment was effective, due to the shocking popularity of Japanese internment during the 1940s.

Source: National Archives.