|
|
For over twelve years of their life, from the age of six to eighteen, children in America and around the world attend a local school where they supposedly are equipped with the tools necessary to attend college and get a carrier. But how pure is the knowledge provided by their textbooks? How much do textbooks shape the ideas and philosophies of young moldable minds? Textbook propaganda is a tool that has been used since the invention of the printing press by communist dictators and democratic capitalists to mold the thoughts of a child into the goals of the state.
Of all the propaganda artists of the years, no one is better known the Adolf Hitler. The leader of Nazi Germany saturated schools, government, and in every part of life with propaganda. "Give me the youth, and Germany will rule the World" he was once quoted saying- a saying that is far too true. The mind of a child is can be imprinted like a gosling and acquire the learned behaviors and attitudes of authority. Thus brainwashed, they become part of the dominant culture. Like the Spartans of ancient Greece1, Hitler used this fact to his advantage, taking German boys away from their families and turning them into loyal soldiers. With this strong backbone of support, aided by his skillful public speaking skills, Hitler was able to amass an army to conquer Europe.
Hitler appointed Joseph Goebbels as head of propaganda. It was Goebbels' job to regulate what was shared with the public, making sure that nobody in Germany could read or see anything that was hostile or damaging to the Nazi Party and that the views of the Nazis were put across in the most persuasive manner possible. Thus Goebbels and others rewrote all textbooks and teachings to shed the most favorable light on Germany. 2- As Hitler himself said, "Let me control the textbooks and I will control the state. The state will take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing. Your child belongs to us already….what are you?"3 Hitler's training of the German youth was key in his dominance for a good part of the second World War. Without his youth soldiers and supporters, Hitler may not have had the same success.
Other world leaders and powers have used textbook propaganda throughout the years. In communist Russia, due to a low level of literacy, Stalin was not able to use all the same textbook propaganda techniques that other leaders of his day used, but he still filled any educational textbooks that Russians used, as well as informational videos and other such learning devices, with plenty of propaganda.4 Today Palestinian children are taught to act like Muslim suicide bombers who gloriously give their life for their country in the national resistance movement against Israel, the "occupier" and "colonialist". Palestinian school textbooks attack the very legitimacy of the Israeli state and discuss Jews as barbarian imposters, like donkeys who deserve to be slaughtered.5
The European Union, a group of nations including Germany, France and Britain, promote textbooks that depict Europe as one big happy family. These teachings diminish the brutal history between member states and with nominal truth discuss things that not all nations of the EU agree with. There are nations that are not even part of the EU and there are nations like Britain that disagree with many of these EU teachings.6
Yet as deceptive as Hitler's propaganda in Nazi Germany may sound, in many ways America pursues similar twisting of historical fact. School curriculum is filled with theories about evolution that are presented as fact. Children take in these deceptions and believe them. The Christian views on life are tossed out the window on the grounds of "Separation of Church and State". Yet, as Christianity is disparaged, Islam is encouraged. Islamic ideas are being promoted in history textbooks and school curriculum to encourage political correctness and goodwill towards Muslim neighbors. Some take a strong anti-Israeli bias, treating the Jews as the invading monsters and Palestine as the poor defender while not recounting the history of Palestinian terror.7 The inclusion of Islamic ideas and New Age Spiritualism is simply a move by humanists to try and draw in more support for their cause against the Christian worldview. Certainly the pendulum has swung too far against the Christian roots of America. Schools should not be allowed to mandate any religious doctrine of globalism, situational ethics, celebration of sexual diversity, and evolutionary theories as fact.
If schools outlaw religious teaching then they should be required to avoid subjects that have religious implications. Teaching on the origin of life should be left to the parents whose responsibility is raise and educate their child. The schools are a tool of the government designed to help parents with this job, not to do the parent's job for them.
Another area in which the American textbook uses propaganda is in history textbooks. Although action should be taken to protect children from overly violent images and stories, many textbooks fabricate lies around these things. The image of Christopher Columbus has suffered as a flawless naval hero, and as a man who only sailed to gain wealth. For a long time after the Civil War, textbooks created reasons other than slavery for the cause of the war and looked down on Africans. In all major colleges, only one black man taught history before 1945. Some light is shed on this matter by a declaration of the American Legion (the nation's largest Veterans organization 8 who in 1925 declared that the ideal textbook "must inspire the children with patriotism... must dwell on failure only for its value as a moral lesson, must speak chiefly of success... must give each State and Section full space and value for the achievement of each". 9 Basically, history textbooks should make children feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, as well as be fair to everyone-instead of giving children the cold hard facts.
In conclusion, textbooks have been a major tool used by countless nations to control what their people learn. From tyrannical leaders such a Hitler in Germany or Arafat in Palestine, to world powers to this day, such as the US and Britain, publishers have filled their textbooks with politically correct stories. Textbook propaganda works. Hitler successfully raised an army, Arafat raised a generation suicidal of Jew haters, and today most American children believe in the old stories of evolution. What can be done about textbook propaganda? Not much, its effectiveness has been proven useful in the past, and will remain the favored tool of dictators and tyrants. But here in free America, things can be changed. It is impossible to have a completely unbiased education system, for if we were to base our education system only on the truth of God's Holy Scriptures we would be no different that the humanists of today. Textbooks should present accurate facts, motivating stories and competing viewpoints. While in our school system, students should be free to form conclusions and develop personal worldviews.
1 More Spartan Stories <www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/morespart.html>
2 -Propaganda in Nazi Germany
3 -Notable Quotes of Socialism
<http://www.wealth4freedom.com/truth/Socialism.htm>
4 -Soviet Propaganda 5 -PA School Books 6 -The European Union and
your Child < http://www.eurofaq.freeuk.com/parents_main.html>
8 -The American Legion
<http://www.legion.org/>
9 -Lies my Teacher Told
me. James W. Loewen. Chapers 2, 11 and 12.
Quick Quiz: 1. What was NOT a key factor in Hitler's power in Germany.
2. True or False: Textbook propaganda is present in America today. 3. Which of the following makes an ideal textbook according to the American
Legion? 4. True of False: Palestinian textbooks teach children that the Jews are their
brothers and should be treated with respect. Copyright
© 2000-2007 www.hyperhistory.net, all rights
reserved
a. He was a good public speaker.
b. He ate sauerkraut and bratwursts every day of lunch.
c. He used propaganda in textbooks and in other areas.
a. True
b. False
a. It must inspire the children with patriotism.
b. It must dwell on failure only for its value as a moral lesson and must speak
chiefly of success.
c. It must give each State and Section full space and value for the achievement
of each.
d. All of the above
a. True
b. False.
Disclaimer:
This essay was donated to hyperhistory.net and may be in the process of revision
to meet course standards.
It is published for the benefit of others to evaluate and improve upon.
Please inform
of inaccuracies or plagiarism.
Map
Graph
Drawing
Original Source
Document
Focus on Facts
Biography
Doc.
Based Questions
