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JuliaFriese
Mrs.Housepian/Anderson
English2HPeriod2
16May2016
PowerandPropaganda

MichaelEnde
oncesaid,Whenitcomestocontrollinghumanbeingsthereisnobetter
instrumentthanlies.Because,yousee,humanslivebybeliefs.Andbeliefscanbe
manipulated.Thepowertomanipulatebeliefsistheonlythingthatcountsdisplaysthe
effectsofpoweronsociety.
Leadersusepowereffectivelybyusingpropagandatomanipulatecitizensintoblindly
believingleadersclaimsandtakeactionforthosesaidbeliefs.
Leadersusepropagandaasmalicioustacticstoscarethepublicintodoingwhat
theydesire.InPoisonousMushroomstheNazipartyusedfearinordertoestablish
theirbeliefs.Thequote,Justaspoisonousmushroomsoftenleadtothemostdreadful
calamity,sotheJewisthecauseofmiseryanddistress,illnessanddeathdisplaying
howcitizensbelievedtheNazipartyandtookactionunderfearofbeingkilledbyJews
(Heimer2).Fearinspiredthepeopletotakemattersintotheirownhands,takingpartin
aleadersideas.Similarly,inthenovel,TheNightingale,writtenbyKristinHannah,a
posterofaJewcreatesfearamongstthepublic.Aposterintheabandonedmilliners
shopwindowshowedacrookedoldmanwithahuge,hookednoselookinggreedyand
evil,holdingabagofmoneyandtrailingbloodandbodiesbehindhim.Shesawthe
wordJewJuitandstopped,showshowtheNaziswouldhavesocietybelieveJewsto

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be,inordertoachievetheirgoals(Hannah93).Theposterisusedtoinspirefearinto
thepublictofightagainstJews,andtosupporttheNazipower.Leadersmakeuseof
fearfrompropagandaeffectivelytogetsocietytodotheirwork.
Peopleinpowereffectivelyconvincethepublicbyusingextremepersuasive
tacticsinpropagandatogettheirdesiresaccomplished.Ahistoricaldocumentofa
Russianwomanholdinggrainpromotesagriculturalproduction,butdoesntshowthe
multiplefailuresincrop(Voron).Theposterinspiresthepublictoentertheagricultural
fieldtoprovidesustenanceandcropsforthewar.Havingsocietyworkinfarmingwould
helptheUSSRinbotheconomicalandpoliticalwaysduringwar,overallbenefitting
leadersinpower.Furthermore,inthenovella,AnimalFarm,writtenbyGeorgeOrwell,
severalanimalssupporttheleadersbyusingpropaganda,andhelpspreadtheir
influenceunderapositivelight.Forexample,thequote,Undertheguidanceofour
Leader,ComradeNapoleon,Ihavelaidfiveeggsinsixdaysdisplaysthatsince
Napoleonhadbecomeleader,lifebecamebetterandproducedmoreunderthe
animalsefforts(Orwell100).Otherswouldsoonbelievethehensandbeconvincedof
howgreatNapoleonwasandbemoreprivytohisdecisionsiftheythoughtofhimhighly
tobeginwith.Leadersinpoweremploypersuasiveandappealingpropagandatomake
themselvesandtheirideaslookenticing.
Leadersalsoemploytheuseofciviliansignorancetoallowtheiractionsto
continueeffectivelyandwithoutsuspicion.InAnimalFarm,animalsinnocentlybelieve
thatNapoleontakescareoftheanimalseventhoughhedoesntactuallyhavetheir
welfareashispriority.Doyounotunderstandwhatthatmeans?TheyaretakingBoxer

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totheknackers!showsthatNapoleonwasriddingthefarmofBoxer,ashewasno
longeruseful(Orwell99).Byusingtheanimalstrust,andkeepingtheminignorance,
Napoleonisabletomanipulatethemfreelyandaccomplishhiswishes.Additionally,in
Hitlersspeech,Howluckyforthoseinpowerthatpeopledontthinkdisplayshow
leaderstookadvantageoftheignorant(AdolfHitler).Hesaysthistodisplayhoweasyit
isforthoseinpowertocontrolsociety.Byshowingtheeaseofaleaderinpower,Hitler
showshowignorancecanbedetrimentaltothoseinit.Leadersuseignoranceinorder
totakecontrolofsituationsandalsopower.
Inconclusion,leadersusepowereffectivelybyusingpropaganda,alongwiththe
useofignorancetomanipulateciviliansintobelievingtheiractions.Theyalsousesuch
tacticstomasktheirtrueactions,andtocontinuetobeinpower.

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WorksCited
AdolfHitler.XploreInc,2016.11May2016.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/adolfhitle109950.html

Hannah,Kristin,andPolly(Narrator)Stone.TheNightingale:ANovel.Unabridged.MacmillanAudio,
2015.

Hiemer,Ernst.
DerGiftpilz
.Nuremberg,Strmerverlag,1938.

Orwell,George.
AnimalFarm
.NewYork:HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,1945.Print.
Voron,Maria.ShockbrigadeReapingforaBolshevikHarvest(1934).
PersuasiveImages:PostersofWarand
RevolutionfromtheHooverInstitutionArchives
.PrincetonNJ:PrincetonUniversityPress.1992.Print.