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Teddy Larkin

World Literature

Mr. Rooney

Research Project

Propaganda in Literature during Nineteenth-Century Wartimes

Origins of Propaganda

The use of propaganda predates the origin of writing and record keeping.

Primitive tribes used propaganda to persuade other tribes to accept them as the leader of a certain

area, based upon their physique or hunting abilities. It has been used effectively by every great

civilization from the Egyptians and the Romans to the British and the Germans. The etymology

of the word “propaganda,” however, did not originate until the 17th Century. It was first used by

one of history’s great masterminds of propaganda, the Catholic Church. In response to Martin

Luther’s 95 Theses, Pope Gregory XV acknowledged that the Catholic Church was losing

popularity and influence. To counteract the decline in public support, he began the desperately

needed reformation of church practices. On June 22, 1622 he established the Sacra Congregation

de Propaganda Fide (Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of Faith). This new office in the

Church would train missionaries (propagandists) to revitalize the faith in Protestant Europe. The

missionaries were not permitted to use the coercive techniques previously used by the Church.

Presented with a difficult challenge, the church remodeled its approach from trying to control

people’s actions to controlling their opinions. The word “propaganda” was first used to describe

a group that attempted to spread a specific dogma. Later, propaganda referred to the techniques

used to spread a particular ideology, and still retains that meaning. (Adams, Simon)

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Many people have a skewed view of what propaganda actually is. In our western

capitalist society the word propaganda frequently evokes thoughts of

Nazi swastikas or the Soviets’ hammer and sickle. Unquestionably, such

symbols represent world powers that were virtuosos of propaganda, but

the alarming truth that might surprise the average person today is that

propaganda is incorporated into the everyday life of every society.

“Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions,

and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.”

(Jowett and O’Donnell). According to this definition, anything susceptible to opinion would

meet the criteria of propaganda, including, but not limited to, the Bush Administration’s

“terrorists threat,” the incessant message of materialism sent through U.S. media, and even the

demands and rules of most parents. One needs the proper background and keys to examine

propaganda.

Types of Propaganda

Propaganda is difficult to classify because the means by which one

can manipulate a certain group are endless. Propaganda cannot be

measured on the basis of good or evil just because it attempts to manipulate someone’s behavior

or opinion to benefit someone else. Evaluation of propaganda is based on the accuracy of its

statements and the validity of its source. Thus propaganda is classified into three branches:

white, black, and grey.

White propaganda is used when the source is obvious and the information is primarily

accurate. A good example is a government summarizing an air strike on a specific area where its

military successfully hit a number of targets. Proclaiming the mission a success is primarily true

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because an air strike actually took place, and the source’s identity is accurate, but the results may

be grossly misconstrued. The summary fails to mention crucial facts regarding the air strike,

including that many bombs missed their designated targets and damaged or destroyed innocent

civilian homes and hospitals. These inconvenient truths are looked upon as insignificant, because

they do not support the intended purpose: to improve the popularity of the military. This type of

propaganda supports the mindset that every situation is black or white; if the bad guys were

killed, then everything is “A-OK.” Such generalizations have been part of news journalism

throughout history, but were particularly evident during the War in Iraq.

Black propaganda, the inverse of white propaganda, is false information that purports to be

from a source on one side of a conflict, but is actually from the opposing side. Typically, it is

used to vilify, embarrass or misrepresent the enemy. A clear example of black propaganda

occurred when the Japanese attempted to turn U.S. troops against the Filipino people during

World War II. The Japanese forged pamphlets, appearing to be from the United States Military,

to promote disgust among American soldiers. The pamphlets read:

Guard Against Venereal DiseasesLately there has been a great increase in the number of venereal diseases among our officers and men owing to prolific contacts with Filipino women of dubious character. Due to hard times and stricken conditions brought about by the Japanese occupation of the islands, Filipino women were willing to offer themselves for a small amount of foodstuffs. It is advisable in such cases to take full protective measures by use of condoms, protective medicines, etc.; better still to hold intercourse only with wives, virgins, or women of respective character.

Furthermore, in view of the increase in pro-American leanings, many Filipino women are more than willing to offer themselves to American soldiers, and because Filipinos have no knowledge of hygiene, disease carriers are rampant and due care must be taken.

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US Army (http://www.psywarrior.com/PSYOPVD.html)

This scam effectively caused American soldiers to be repulsed by Filipino women and widened

the distance between two groups who were supposed to be allies. It made Filipinos appear to be

unclean and added to the undercurrent of racism already present among U.S. troops.

Gray propaganda, the “happy medium” between black and white, is propaganda wherein “the

source may or may not be identified and may not be correctly identified” (Simon Adams). It can

be the most effective and dangerous type of propaganda. An example of grey propaganda

occurred at the beginning of World War II. Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels set his

eyes on France. The Germans had just invaded Poland and were also ready to infiltrate the

homes and hearts of the French people. While reporting Communist ideologies, unidentified

radio stations began repeated proclamations that France was in a weakened state. The reports

suggested that the French government had disbanded, that food supplies were dwindling, and

that severe outbreaks of cholera were spreading throughout France. Faced with the German

threat from outside the country and internal opinions about national weakness assuring defeat,

France surrendered to the German threat. Having served their purpose of assuring French

surrender, the radio stations disbanded. The German ownership of these radio stations was not

discovered until the post-war period. (http://libraryautomation.com/nymas/radioproppaper.htm)

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Propaganda is intended to influence and impact individuals and groups in a non-

coercive, subtly designed, and insidious manner. The process is gradual and, therefore, goes

generally unnoticed by those targeted. The better the propaganda is disguised, the more

efficacious and lasting the result. So, how does one recognize propaganda and identify its

attempt to influence? Simon Adams outlined ten important steps to detect propaganda.

TEN STEPS TO ANALYZING PROPAGANDA

1. WHAT IS THE IDEOLOGY OR PURPOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN?

2. WHAT IS THE CONTEXT IN WHICH THE CAMPAIGN OCCURS?

3. WHO IS THE PROPAGANDIST?

4. WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE PROPAGANDA ORGANIZATION?

5. WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

6. WHAT MEDIA TECHNIQUES ARE BEING USED?

7. ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL TECHNIQUES IN USE TO INCREASE THE EFFECT OF CAMPAIGN?

8. WHAT IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE’S RESPONSE TO THE PROPAGANDA?

9. IS THERE ANY COUNTER PROPAGANDA?

10. HOW EFFECTIVE HAS THE CAMPAIGN BEEN?

As mentioned above, in The Origins of Propaganda, religion can be a producer of

propaganda. This section will demonstrate that a religion can also fall victim to propaganda. The

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most infamous example is the Holocaust. The genocide of six million European Jews is one of

the most heinous crimes against humanity. Jewish children were ripped away from their

mothers, who were sent either to crematories or concentration camps. Twins were sentenced to

painful and often lethal experiments. The “survivors” of Nazi selection were beaten and broken

into submission to a point where the victims would curse the beliefs that had supposedly

provoked this torture. This attempted genocide of an entire race still haunts many people today.

The questions that most frequently arise are “Why” and “How” could such an atrocity take

place? Propaganda had a profound effect on both of these sensitive and complex questions.

The most straightforward answer to “Why did this atrocity happen?” is seen through the

statements of those who imposed these horrors. The anti-Semitic Joseph Goebbels, Reich

Minister of Propaganda, said, “We do not subscribe to the view that one should feed the hungry,

give drink to the thirsty, or clothe the naked … Our objectives are different: We must have a

healthy people in order to prevail in the world.” MEANING NOT CLEAR: This extreme,

elitist attitude provokes even more questions of how Jews were assumed to be weak. But

the questions are intertwined. The “How” is, in fact, the reason for the “Why.” This crime’s

“How” is the anti-Semitic propaganda that started well before World War II, and from it is

derived the “Why.” (Alexander L. George)

Historically, Adolph Hitler is the chosen scapegoat for the Holocaust. Many people believe

that Hitler’s arduous upbringing kindled his intense animosity for Jews and his desire to

eliminate the race. This perception fails to provide any explanation for European anti-Semitic

attitudes that have waxed and waned since the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This simple

explanation of “Why” the Holocaust occurred is a secondary propaganda “propagated” by

Europeans who blindly accepted the anti-Semitic dogma until the gravity of the Holocaust

registered and the damage was irreversible. The world’s conscience was appalled by the events

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of the Holocaust, and the subordinate perpetrators, some ridden with guilt, found consolation in

blaming Hitler as the sole source of the atrocity. This convenient assumption is far from the

truth.

Genocide does not just happen. It is spawned by hatred of a particular group over a period of

time. No other people have been more affected by such hatred than the Jews, persecuted and

abused since the days of the Egyptians. A major source of anti-semitism was religious

intolerance. After the death of Jesus Christ, Jews were, “despised for the arrogance of their

monotheism, vilified as Christ’s murderers, and identified with the devil.” (Stephen Eric

Bronner) The other major source of hatred for Jews was known as rishes footnote (Yiddish for

malice) that, “connotes a mixture of resentment and jealousy over the seeming ability of Jews to

make good on the scarce opportunities offered them by capitalism.” These feelings covered the

extensive time period of approximately two thousand years footnote (400 B.C. to 1950 A.D).

The Merchant of Venice

An example of anti-Semitic propaganda during the Elizabethan Era was William

Shakespeare’s, The Merchant of Venice (1597). In the play a Jewish banker, Shylock, is

demonized as a greedy wanton murderer. Shylock’s foil is another banker in Venice, named

Antonio. Antonio is trying to financially aid his friend Bassanio, who needs money in order to

appropriately court Portia, the heiress from Belmont. Antonio cannot personally make the loan

because he has investments in ships that are still out at sea. Antonio proposes that Bassanio take

a loan from another moneylender, and name Antonio as the guarantor. Bassanio takes a loan

from the infamous Shylock, who despises Antonio for two reasons: Antonio repeatedly demeans

Shylock as a “filthy Jew,” and Antonio stifles Shylock’s business by offering loans without

interest. So, when Antonio and Bassanio ask him for a loan of 3,000 ducats, Shylock agrees to

lend the money with no interest, but if the loan is not repaid at the time specified, Shylock will

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take a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Soon after, it is

confirmed that Shylock “would rather have

Antonio's flesh than twenty times the value of the

sum that he did owe him.” (III, ii, 284-88) This

agreement becomes quite intimidating when rumors

surface that Antonio’s invested ships have crashed.

Simultaneously, Bassanio goes to Belmont and wins

Portia’s heart. When Bassanio hears the rumor about

Antonio’s ships, he immediately returns to try to

save his friend’s life. Upon confirmation of the

rumor, Shylock demands that the contract be

honored, ignoring the pleas to spare Antonio’s life. At a trial before the Duke of Venice, the duke

sends for a legal expert. Bassanio’s love interest, Portia, disguises herself as that expert. She/he

concludes that Shylock may extract the flesh, but may not draw one drop of blood, based upon

the technicality that blood was not promised in the contract. Shylock immediately tries to take

Antonio’s money instead, but Portia refuses, accusing him of making an attempt on another

Venetian’s life. For this crime he would forfeit all of his property, but Antonio and the Duke take

pity on him. They merely fine him, provided that he convert to Christianity and bequeath his

fortune to his daughter Jessica and her lover Lorenzo.

William Shakespeare wrote this play as a comedy to entertain his Elizabethan audiences. Its

anti-Semitic undercurrent was evident from the beginning, but as time progressed, Shylock’s

cruelty was exaggerated to fit the beliefs and intentions of those performing the play. Often the

play was performed solely to promote anti-Semitism. In 1619 the title was altered to The

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Merchant of Venice, With the Extreme Cruelty of Shylock the Jew…. Certainly the play was

used solely to promote anti-Semitism in 1938, when the Nazis produced it as a radio broadcast

and a play. (Lecture by James Shapiro: "Shakespeare and the Jews”)

Regardless of the time of production, the play clearly demonizes Shylock as a Jew.

Throughout the play, Shylock is stripped of his name and is referred to as “the Jew.” Frequently

that title is subject to disparaging adjectives like "dog Jew" (II,viii,14) and "currish Jew"

(IV,i,292). Shylock even loses his humanity when he is cursed to "… be thou damned,

inexecrable dog!" (IV,i,128). Also, his "currish spirit govern'd a wolf" (IV,i,133-34) and his

"desires are wolvish, bloody, starved, and ravenous" (IV,i,137-38). If these were not enough,

Shylock is compared to “the Devil himself” and called "the very devil incarnation." His

daughter, also Jewish, refers to his house as “hell.” Probably the most famous example of

Shylock being equated to the devil is his statement that “The Devil can cite scripture for his

purpose" (I,iii, 97-100). These quotations accurately parallel the way a Jew was portrayed in

society at the time. ( http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7221/ textualanalyssi.htm)

Nosferatu

One of the great works of silent cinema is Nosferatu footnote (meaning vampire). Directed by

Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, this masterpiece was a brilliant adaptation of the 1897 British novel,

Dracula, by Bram Stoker. Because the filmmakers were unable to obtain the rights to the book,

they made as many minor alterations as possible while maintaining the essentials of the original.

Some argue that the anti-Semitic undertone is actually a product of overly-analytical critics

judging the small adaptations that were made to avoid infringement. This opinion seems to be

another example of denial of responsibility for the widespread anti-Semitism in Germany during

the mid-Nineteenth Century.

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The film’s plot revolves around a German real

estate agent, Thomas Hutter, who is sent to try to

sell property to Orlock (Dracula), who lives in

Eastern Europe. Hutter discovers that Orlock is the

Nosferatu, and flees back to his town to warn its

citizens. Fear of a plague begins when rats appear in

the town at an alarming rate. Hutter’s wife, Ellen, reads the book of vampires and learns how to

kill the vampire. She sacrifices herself to Orlock, but forces him to stay until dawn, when he is

destroyed by the sunlight.

Despite Nosferatu’s cinematic brilliance, the film has been criticised for its anti-Semitism,

revealed through Murnau’s changes to the text. One of the primary complaints was that Orlock

took on the stereotypical “Jewish” persona. In the film, Orlock is presented as bald, rat-faced,

repellant, with an oversized, hooked nose. When the movie was released, Jews were migrating at

a high rate into Western Europe, to avoid persecution. Accompanying them was the appalling

rumor that they were filthy hosts of various diseases. Because rats were also feared as a source of

disease, the two were seen as synonymous. Therefore, without explanation, an invasion of rats

followed Orlock’s migration towards Huttler’s village. Ellen’s sacrifice is also symbolic of the

corruption of racial purity. Orlock spends the night with her and overpowers this virtuous Aryan

woman. (http://www.sexgoremutants.co.uk/nosfus.html)

Nosferatu and The Merchant of Venice share ideologies that demonize Jews. Ironically or

intentionally, their two Jewish characters have similar names: Shylock and Orlock. These two

literary works are examples of white propaganda, because the intentions are clear. Each of these

works has the primary goal of entertaining the audience. Their anti-Semitic undertone is not

fully exploited until the Nazis use them as direct propaganda until the late 1930’s.

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Poetry for German Children

The wise John Fitzgerald Kennedy said, “Children are the world's most valuable resource

and its best hope for the future.” Adolph Hitler also recognized the power of children and used

the opportunity to corrupt them with propaganda. He knew that a person is not born with

prejudice, but must be carefully taught. One of the infamous ways he “taught” the German youth

was through picture books. Over 100,000 copies of the book, Trust No Fox on his Green

Heath and No Jew on his Oath, by Elwira Bauer, were published in 1935. The book

touched the youth effectively, because its vibrant images attracted even uneducated and illiterate

children. The pictures were so derogatory that even the simplest mind could comprehend their

message. Filled with graphic depictions of demonic aspects of Jews, this book has two poems

that stand out among the rest.

The Father of the Jews is the Devil

At the creation of the world

The Lord God conceived the races:

Red Indians, Negroes, and Chinese,

And Jew-boys, too, the rotten crew.

And we were also on the scene:

We Germans midst this motley medley-

He gave them all a piece of earth

To work with the sweat of their brow.

But the Jew-boy went on strike at once!

For the devil rode him from the first.

Cheating, not working, was his aim;

For lying, he got first prize

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In less than no time from the Father of Lies.

Then he wrote it in the Talmud.

By the banks of Pharaoh’s Nile

Pharaoh saw this folk, and said:

"I’ll torment the lazy blighters,

These people shall make bricks for me."’

The Jew did this all wailing and whining,

Never was there such cursing and swearing,

With bent backs and over-big slippers.

Even today we see them shambling

With lip hanging down and great red noses

And looking daggers, flashing hate.

They owe Pharaoh thanks,

Who trounced them soundly for their pranks.

The Jews soon had enough of that!

The Devil brought them to our midst,

Like thieves they stole into our land

Hoping to get the upper hand.

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But the Germans — they stand foursquare.

Look, children, and the two compare,

The German and the Jew.

Take a good look at the two

In the picture drawn for you.

A joke — you think it is only that?

Easy to guess which is which, I say:

The German stands up, the Jew gives way.

The German is a proud young man,

Able to work and able to fight.

Because he is a fine big chap,

For danger does not care a rap,

The Jew has always hated him!

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Here is the Jew, as all can see,

Biggest ruffian in our country;

He thinks himself the greatest beau

And yet is the ugliest you know!

Once a Jew, always a Jew

Ikey Itzig had a brainwave:

“I know what, I’ll be baptized.”

These stupid folk will surely say:

“Look, there goes a Christian man.”

Itzig Iphraim one fine day

Called on the local village priest,

Asked to be sprinkled from the font.

The priest was all agog to please him.

“Hear my words, Jew Iphraim,” he said,

“Thee I baptize: Gotthilf Joachim

Fridericus Christian Itzig.

Now hear what I say:

Once a Jew, now a Christian you are,

And obedience is required of you.

Promise never to forget

To eat no meat on Friday,

For that would be a sin

Hardly to be pardoned!”

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When next Friday he came to see

Our Ikey, Itzig in great glee

Was making short work of a goose.

“Itzig, my man, what does that mean?”

Cries reverend father in furious spleen.

“You ought to know that on your plate

There should be no meat this date!

Strict penance you must pay for this!”

The sinner said: “ei waich ei waich!

Why make such trouble all at once?

What you upon my plate do see,

It is no goose: It’s just a fish!

I bought myself a goosie-gander,

Bethought myself to christen it!”

On this fried morsel I pronounced:

“You were a goose, now you are a fish!”

Now children, on the other page

The Jew you’ll see. Can you believe

Since baptism he’s really changed7

Five pails of water o’er his head

Makes no changes in his heart.

One thing always keep in view,

Once a Jew, always a Jew!!

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These two poems attack the humanity of Jews and elevate the German people – the Germans’

objective. The Germans did not wish the complete abolition of Jews. Their true goal was to

avenge the ending of World War I and to rise up as an impregnable world power. The Jewish

people were an obstacle preventing the Germans from (see Goebbels quote from pg 7) being a

purely Aryan race. The Germans decided to crush this obstacle by installing racial theory or the

Jewish question into the curriculum. One German educator stresses the importance of the racial

theory, saying, “…we as German educators wish to impart to our young people, from childhood

on, knowledge about the Jew. None of our people should grow up ignorant of the dreadful

danger posed by the Jew…”

The poem, “The Father of Jews Is the Devil,” directly refers to the Jews as Spawn of the

Devil, suggesting that Jews deserved the misery of their slavery in Egypt and still ought to be

treated badly. The poem attacks their supposed physical and moral deformities, treating laziness

and red noses as their racial characteristics. It contrasts the Jew with the strong, hard working

German race that it sees as pure. It finally petitions the German people to eliminate the plague

within Germany. This specific lesson was crucial to the German curriculum because it portrays

anti-Semitism as righteous and virtuous.

The poem, “Once a Jew Always a Jew,” identifies a Jew solely by his heritage, and not by his

actual religious affiliation. This poem depicts a Jew who gets baptized, yet shows no remorse for

his sins and does not adhere to Christian teaching. It is significant because it provides no hope

for Jews to assimilate into the Christian German society. Jews are permanently branded at birth

and will never change. It also negates the Christian missionary role of converting sinners, for

Jews cannot change, even through the sacraments. This is directly expressed when the poem

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says, “Five pails of water o’er his head / Makes no changes in his heart.” This subtle teaching

discouraged even the most devout Christians from converting this race, so that no one would

protest when the Jewish genocide began.

The primarily German examples should not persuade the reader to believe that anti-

Semitism was restricted to Germany. Anti-Semitism was prevalent at the international level.

Even the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave was susceptible to this ideology. In the

United States, anti-Semitism was entwined with its everyday culture during the early Twentieth

Century. One prominent example is the work of the renowned poet, T.S. Eliot. Although much

controversy surrounds Eliot’s personal view of Jews, his poems definitely display anti-Semitic

sentiments. One example appears in his “Gerontion.”

My house is a decayed house,

And the Jew squats on the windowsill, the owner,

Spawned in some estaminet of Antwerp,

Blistered in Brussels, patched and peeled in London.

The goat coughs at night in the field overhead;

Rocks, moss, stonecrop, iron, merds.

One must remember that Eliot “…is ostensibly in a satirical mood…” However, “…he

uses ugly clichés that grew out of the racist form of anti-Semitism, creating stereotypes of Jews

as subhuman and leprous as rats and vampires.” In the above excerpt alone, he clearly implies

sufficient anti-Semitism, vilifying the Jewish landlord as “spawned” like an insect.

Possibly the most offensive of Eliot’s poems is “Dirge.” The poem’s publisher even

eliminated this excerpt, recognizing that the section was “unnecessary for the effectiveness of the

poem”

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Dirge

Full fathom five your Bleistein lies

Under the flatfish and the squids.

Graves’ Disease is a dead jew’s eyes!

When the crabs have eat the lids

Lowe than the wharf rats dive

Though he suffer a sea-change

Still expensive rich and strange

That is lace that was his nose, etc.

These lines seem to clearly display anti-Semitism, although Eliot claims the poem to be parody.

Parody can only excuse a certain level of apparent disgust. Eliot crossed the line, and his

publisher did not publish “Dirge,” fearing a justifiably angry response to Eliot’s depiction of a

Jew as lower than docks rats, etc. Even if such statements were not Eliot’s actual opinions, they

reflect a mindset in American society of the 1920’s. (“The Merchant of Venom? T. S. Eliot and

Anti-Semitism”) # Walter A. Strauss

Conclusion

Having presented the above sources, I will analyze them as propaganda by asking the key

Ten Questions.

1. What is the ideology or purpose of the campaign? The Germans did not wish only

for the complete abolition of Jews; their true goal was to avenge the end of World War I and to

rise again as an impregnable world power. The Jewish race was one obstacle that prevented

Germany from being a pure Aryan race.

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2. What is the context in which the campaign occurs? The German people were

disgraced and demoralized after World War I. The Treaty of Versailles had crippled their hopes

of being recognized as a world power.

3. Who is the propagandist? The propagandist was the Nazi Regime, directly controlled

by Adolph Hitler.

4. What is the structure of the propaganda organization? Germany was a totalitarian

dictatorship from 1933 until1945.

5. Who is the target audience? The target audience initially was the German people, and

eventually the world.

6. What media techniques are being used? The media techniques employed every

existing medium of communication, including radio, film, newspapers, pamphlets, and books.

7. Are any special techniques used to increase the effect of the campaign? The Nazis

poisoned the minds of the youth through the youth camps, the school curricula, and anti-Semitic

textbooks.

8. What is the target audience’s response to the propaganda? The German people

accepted the propaganda because anti-Semitism had been a societal undercurrent in Europe for

centuries.

9. Is there any counter propaganda? No. The Jews were so helpless in German society

that they were unable to produce media to counter the malicious rumors about them.

10. How effective has the campaign been? The campaign effectively promoted the anti-

Semitic prejudices that resulted in the genocide of 6,000,000 Jews, but Germany lost WWII

because the Allied forces recognized the Nazi threat to Europe and the world.

Propaganda can utilize any and all media in its attempts to persuade a group or the

general public. Its three different types must be analyzed with as little bias as possible. The “Ten

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Questions” are helpful in sorting information and identifying the accuracy of the claims. When

people do not challenge information and opinion that is presented to them, they can become

vulnerable to their sources. Another danger in unchallenged propaganda is that generalities are

presented about those whom the propaganda is designed to attack. From such a biased situation,

terrible atrocities can result. The most atrocious example is the Holocaust. Nazi propaganda in a

nation with a history of mild anti-Semitism generated in its citizens the hateful attitudes that

supported or tolerated the elimination of millions, simply because of their Jewish heritage. Anti-

Semitism was not simply a Germanic movement; it has existed internationally for thousands of

years. It must be remembered that prejudice is taught, not inborn; it usually starts at home. By

evaluating an attempt at persuasion, recognizing the complexity and nuances of the situation, one

will draw closer to the truth.