Propaganda has been used in the worst ways possible since it was first conceived, and continues to be used today in various forms of manipulation to further the purposes of whoever wishes to use it for their gain at the expense of others. But just what does propaganda do? How does it work? How does it kill? In this article, we’ll cover how propaganda has been used to kill people in Rwanda and Nazi Germany, and what we can learn from this grim history lesson that we can apply toward our own lives.
Why are dictators so successful at killing people?
Dictators are so successful at killing people because they use propaganda to manipulate their subjects. It is a form of brainwashing that convinces people that the dictator is always right, so they don't think twice about carrying out the dictator's orders, even if it means hurting themselves or others. In Rwanda, Hutus used propaganda to convince Tutsis that they were cockroaches and insects so Tutsis had no choice but to flee or be killed. In Nazi Germany, Jews were persuaded by Hitler's hate speech that Jews were the cause of all the world's problems and should therefore be exterminated. They were also convinced by speeches like this one: Do you want total war? Do you want mass murder? which showed how terrible life would be for them under Jewish domination. The Nazis also spread rumors to incite hatred between different groups such as spreading the idea that Jews had ritualistically slaughtered Gentiles in Poland with impunity; these rumors caused tension among those living near each other, leading to more violence.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Propaganda is a powerful weapon that can be used for good or bad intentions. It's been used for centuries, but has only recently become more advanced and dangerous with the advent of social media. For example, genocide was committed by different groups against other groups in both Rwanda and Nazi Germany. In Rwanda, propaganda was created by Hutus to convince the public that Tutsis were the enemy. The Hutus then turned on their neighbors with machetes and clubs which resulted in 800,000 deaths over 100 days. In Nazi Germany, Joseph Goebbels' Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda had total control over what Germans saw. Hitler himself would tell his ministers how he wanted things portrayed, such as the Jews being lazy when it came to work. He felt this portrayal would support his idea that they needed to be exterminated since they could not contribute positively to society. They showed posters at movies depicting Jews as rats who should be eradicated. They also published children's books where people killed rats and frogs that symbolized Jews while singing songs like Kill All the Rats. Some Holocaust survivors have written books about these events in an attempt to warn future generations about the dangers of propaganda.
Media Control
A significant factor in the Rwandan genocide was the use of media control by Hutu extremists. They used radio broadcasts, newspapers, and other outlets to spread their racist propaganda that dehumanized Tutsis. This helped them convince people that Tutsis were worthy targets for violence because they were supposedly planning a genocide against Hutus. The victims did not have any way to fight back or defend themselves from the messages being broadcasted about them. It made it easy for an angry mob to justify killing an innocent person. It is important to recognize how easy it is to manipulate the masses with false information and exaggerated claims. In Nazi Germany, propaganda was so effective at brainwashing people into thinking certain groups should be eliminated (Jews) that Hitler's plan could not have been carried out without it. Today there are many parallels between what happened in these two countries and some populations around the world are still living in fear due to sensationalist news reports. Sensationalism has become rampant in the Western media when it comes to reporting on events like terrorism. Nowadays we see headlines all over the internet telling us ISIS may infiltrate our borders, Muslim immigrants want to conquer Europe, and Donald Trump wants to ban all Muslims from entering America which creates fear and anxiety. While all three of these headlines contain some truth behind them, they are only one-sided stories that often exaggerate those truths while neglecting others completely.
How Hitler rose to power through effective propaganda
Hitler was a master at using propaganda to control the masses. He knew that if he could make his people believe their country was under attack, they would be willing to do anything for him. He used propaganda because it enabled him to create an alternate reality for Germans, one where Jews were the enemy. As soon as Hitler became chancellor, he seized full control of the media, ordering all newspapers to publish only what he wanted them too. He took away freedom of speech by removing any opposition to his ideas, making anyone who spoke out against him subject to arrest. All teachers had to pass a test proving they were Nazis before being allowed back into school. The Nazis also invaded neighboring countries like Czechoslovakia, Austria and Poland. They started World War II with their invasion of Poland on September 1st 1939. To those watching from outside of Germany, it seemed like there was no end in sight. After seven years of terrible war, Hitler committed suicide with his wife Eva Braun on April 30th 1945. His body is still unaccounted for and many speculate whether or not he is still alive. Meanwhile, Hitler's legacy lives on through the awful effects of his influence: Holocaust Memorial Day commemorates Holocaust victims; Anne Frank published her diary while in hiding; Polish Resistance member Witold Pilecki smuggled himself into Auschwitz three times to document its horrors; former concentration camp prisoner Elie Wiesel wrote Night which tells about a young Jewish boy's life during WWII.
Comparing the Holocaust with Rwanda Genocide
Both the Holocaust and the Rwandan Genocide were horrific, awful events that should never have happened. But what set these two genocides apart is the use of propaganda by their leaders to get people on board with killing other human beings. In Nazi Germany, Hitler used propaganda such as radio broadcasts to tell citizens that Jews were dangerous enemies who needed to be eliminated. In Rwanda, Hutu officials convinced the public that a Tutsi victory would be catastrophic for the Hutus. They then encouraged massacres where close to 1 million Tutsis were killed between April and July 1994. In both cases, propaganda was used as an effective tool to kill innocent civilians. The difference lies not just in the methods but also in how effective each type of propaganda proved to be. While it’s impossible to know exactly how many lives were saved because of these efforts, it’s certain that they helped save many lives and could help save even more in the future if we make sure we don’t forget what happened there. I believe that any amount of prevention is worth trying if it might mean saving one life. It's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to do anything they can to prevent this from happening again. And thankfully, this tragedy has been used as motivation for some incredible initiatives to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. For example, One World Social Justice (OWJ) has been educating young Rwandans about genocide through classroom discussions. OWJ helps students understand the historical context of why genocide occurred so that they won't fall prey to propaganda themselves when faced with similar situations in the future.
The Rwandan Genocide was planned months ahead
In April 1994, the Rwandan government began a radio campaign that identified specific groups as enemies of the state. These groups were called inyenzi or cockroaches. In May 1994, there was a meeting in which senior government officials discussed how people should be killed. On April 6, 1994, President Habyarimana's plane was shot down near Kigali Airport killing him and everyone on board. While this event is often cited as marking the beginning of the genocide, it was actually one element of an ongoing conflict between Hutus and Tutsis. As some have pointed out, it would have been virtually impossible for genocide to have been planned so soon after the shooting down of Habyarimana's airplane. However, many scholars believe that military officers already had such plans long before then. The United Nations created the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) with judges from around the world who ruled guilty or not guilty on crimes committed during the genocide. They found eleven high-ranking members of the MRND party guilty of being involved in creating a plan to exterminate all Tutsis, though they were only responsible for killing 2% of those who died during this time period. After World War II, Adolf Hitler used propaganda to promote the idea that Jews were the enemy of Germans. He told his people that Jews wanted to take over their country, eliminate Christianity and enslave them. Using posters and rallies, he convinced them Jews are dangerous people who must be eliminated for the good of society at large. Jews became less than human in their eyes; anyone could do anything against them without remorse because they believed these people weren't worthy enough to live.
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