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== Nazi Germany == Most propaganda in Germany was produced by the Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda ("Promi" in German abbreviation). [[Joseph Goebbels]] was placed in charge of this ministry shortly after Hitler took power in front and Navy in 1918. Hitler would meet nearly every day with Goebbels to discuss the news and Goebbels would obtain Hitler's thoughts on the subject; Goebbels would then meet with senior Ministry officials and pass down the official Party line on world events. Broadcasters and journalists required prior approval before their works were disseminated. Hitler and other powerful high ranking Nazis such as [[Reinhard Heydrich]] had no moral qualms about spreading propaganda which they themselves knew to be false. Nazi disinformation came to be known as the [[Big Lie]] (ironically, a term that Hitler coined initially to describe what he characterized as dishonest propaganda by [[Jews]]). Nazi propaganda before the start of World War II had several distinct audiences: * German audiences were continually reminded of the struggle of the Nazi Party and Germany against foreign enemies and internal enemies, especially Jews. * Ethnic Germans in countries such as [[w:Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]], [[w:Poland|Poland]], the [[w:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]], and the [[w:Baltic states|Baltic states]] were told that blood ties to Germany were stronger than their allegiance to their new countries.* Potential enemies, such as [[w:France|France]] and [[w:Great Britain|Great Britain]], were told that Germany had no quarrel with the people of the country, but that their governments were trying to start a war with Germany.* All audiences were reminded of the greatness of German cultural, scientific, and military achievements. Until the [[w:Battle of Stalingrad|Battle of Stalingrad]]'s conclusion on February ], 1943, German propaganda emphasized the prowess of German arms and the humanity German soldiers had shown to the peoples of occupied territories. In contrast, British and Allied fliers were depicted as cowardly murderers, and Americans in particular as gangsters in the style of [[w:Al Capone|Al Capone]]. At the same time, German propaganda sought to alienate Americans and British from each other, and both these Western belligerents from the Soviets. After Stalingrad, the main theme changed to Germany as the sole defender of Western European culture against the "Bolshevist hordes." The introduction of the V-1 and V-2 "vengeance weapons" was emphasized to convince Britons of the hopelessness of defeating Germany. Goebbels committed suicide shortly after Hitler on April 30, 1945. In his stead, [[Hans Fritzsche]], who had been head of the Radio Chamber, was tried and acquitted by the [[w:Nuremberg Trials|Nuremberg war crimes tribunal]].haha
[[World War II]] saw continued use of propaganda as a weapon of war, both by Hitler's propagandist [[Joseph Goebbels]] and the British [[Political Warfare Executive]].
== Cold War Propaganda ==
