Monday, September 19, 2011

Propaganda?

This is coolbert:

From the wiki entry for Jutland we have this graphic: "1916 German propaganda postcard, comparing the adversaries' losses" [click on the graphic to see the greatest resolution!]



This can be classified as propaganda? For INTERNAL German consumption ONLY and not meant for a foreign audience.

As to the types of propaganda, peace and war time both:

* "White propaganda generally comes from an openly identified source, and is characterized by gentler methods of persuasion, such as standard public relations techniques and one-sided presentation of an argument."

* "Black propaganda is identified as being from one source, but is in fact from another. This is most commonly to disguise the true origins of the propaganda, be it from an enemy country or from an organization with a negative public image."

* "Grey propaganda is propaganda without any identifiable source or author. A major application of grey propaganda is making enemies believe falsehoods using straw arguments"

The consensus opinion of the history experts is that Jutland was A DRAW? An inconclusive naval battle that had the potential to decide the war but did not!

The English suffering worse casualties than the German, more men dead, more ships sunk, etc.

[The English according to the postcard firing a greater tonnage of shells, but having more ships of greater size sunk with about two and one half times the numbers of sailors and officers killed. Notice that the English sailor is shown as being about two and one half times the size of his German counterpart!!]

The German having to beat a retreat from the "battlefield" in good order when faced with the preponderance of British naval might!

Neither side able to prevail, plans as conceived prior to the battle, the execution of which for both sides going awry.

The hope of the British that one climactic naval battle such as Jutland - - a victory on the scale of a Trafalgar would bring a quick and speedy end to the war becoming just that - - a hope and no more!

From the appearance of the German postcard this is "white propaganda" and is actually done in a very fair manner, NOT exaggerated but containing a good measure of truth, factual. Results of the battle shown in  a graphical manner so that even an illiterate could readily understand what occurred at Jutland.

"Propaganda" has a negative connotation? ALWAYS seen as bad? In this case, the facts are clear and the intention is to boost internal German morale, without a whole lot if any embellishment, exaggeration or "lies"?

coolbert.

1 comment:

Steiner said...

I've never seen this before, and it is very well done, kudos to you for bringing it forward.

Whatever the contemporary "spin", the Imperial German navy failed to close the Atlantic, and Jutland weighed heavily on the mind of Hitler in WW2. His surface ships weren't going to rust away at anchor, and they didn't, hence the Bismarck and Graf Spee debacles.