Propaganda Activities and British Special Operations Executive’s Political Influence Actions in Romania between 1941-1944

Abstract

Propaganda represents a powerful war weapon. In this respect, its goal was to dehumanize and to produce hatred against a supposed enemy. The techique used was to create a false image in the target groups. This can be done by using some special words or avoiding some other words on purpose or asserting that the enemy is responsible for some negative facts. The war propaganda implies the fact that the population perceives the enemy as making something unjust, this asertion being based on real facts or on the fiction created by the propaganda specialists. The sophisticated propaganda from the war agaist some supposed atrocities caused by the enemy represents an effective psychological weapon usually used to enflame soldiers’ mind, making them believe the would fight for a just cause. The enemy becomes some sort of monster by innoculating them with all sorts of supposed attrocities. Mass media repeats endlessly how cruel and demonic the enemy can be. During the Second World War, the allied powers propaganda had an important role to make people believe in the AXA’a s victory, from which Romania was a part. The British ran their propaganda programs through a special organism “British Political Warfare Executive”. The moment the war started, in Romania there was a public opinion oriented exclusively towards Great Britain and France. In spite of the interdictions, the BBC went on to be listened. The British propaganda urged Romania to mobilise against Germany, asking insistently to leave the war, turning the weapons, forming an effective opposition, abolishing the regime, a sabbotage of the German machine war. How much success those operations had, we are going to analyse further on. In special the political influence of this action in Romanian between 1941-1944.