ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most outstanding stylistic device in propaganda is the use of contrasts. One of the most striking means by which the media have influenced social attitudes – changing or reinforcing opinions – has been through the use of stereotypes. By that, I mean conventional figures that have come to be regarded as representative of particular classes, races, and so on. This aspect of propaganda is full of confrontations between order and chaos and good and evil, and in each case the contrast serves to force the individual into the desired and firmly established commitment. In this ultimate purpose, propaganda is aided by man’s psychological need for value judgments in simple black-and-white terms. This is particularly so if a country is in a state of crisis, or war, when there is an increasing need for a simplification of the issues. This chapter analyzes how different regimes have used stereotypes in their propaganda to justify war. A number of case studies – ranging from World War I to the current conflict in Ukraine – are employed to demonstrate the power of the “image of the enemy” in wartime propaganda.
