The Media and World War II

The media was the major source of information for Americans during the Second World War. In addition, the media created the image of Adolf Hitler as it was perceived by the average American during that time. News about the war was generally received from such sources as radio, newspapers, magazines, and newsreels (Short 1). These media were also responsible for selling Hitler to the American public. In a way, they acted as propaganda for stirring up American support for the war effort in Europe. The news presentations of Hitler, particularly after the start of World War II, usually showed him as a threat to world peace. The clear message was that Hitler needed to be stopped in order for democracy and freedom to be preserved. K.R M. Short, editor of the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, has noted that newsreels, for example, served the purpose of "informing the people about the progress of the war, while continually stressing the importance of home front commitment and morale in achieving victory" (16-17). Although Short refers specifically to newsreels in the movie theater, it can be seen that the same elements were stressed in the coverage of the other news media as well. This paper will discuss the United States image of Hitler from the 1920s through 1945, as it was presented in the media. It will be seen that the image of Hitler changed somewhat during the major periods in his political career. Three major periods in that career wi

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o Hitler's fanatical ideas with tolerance but that "now at last, at the end of tolerance, comes the horse laugh, the great American razzberry" (68). The article went on to claim that the Nazi revolution of Hitler was a phony revolution and that the only "true revolution" was that of democracy (68). This statement was obviously intended to make patriotic American readers more supportive of the war against Nazi Germany. During the war years, the New York Times Magazine also began running articles on Hitler and the Nazis. One interesting article from that period, dated February 2, 1941, compared Hitler's ambitions for conquest with those of Napoleon at the turn of the nineteenth century. Compared to many of the articles which had been published prior to the war, this article took a more derogatory tone. There was far less objectivity than before, and far more emphasis on the threat inherent in Hitler's global ambitions. In this respect, the article's author, Philip Guedalla, expressed concern over the efforts of an individual "at single-handed domination of the world" (26). Guedalla stressed the point that Hitler did not compare favorably with Napoleon, who was almost noble in his intentions. Rather, Hitler was compared wit

Category: History - T