The Big Lie

In my series on propaganda, maybe the second most controversial statement is that propaganda does not consist of lies. After all wasn't Hitler famous for the theory of "The Big Lie" that he wrote about in Mein Kampf? In case you were not aware of this famous Nazi technique, I will quote from a translation of Main Kampf" which in turn I got from the Wikipedia topic "The Big Lie":

a lie so "colossal" that no one would believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously".


As Wikipedia explains, although this statement is commonly thought to be referring to Hitler's own methods, Hitler was not talking about his own lying, he was talking about the Jews. Later On Goebbels (Hitler's Propaganda Minister) again referred to the technique, but alleging that Churchill was using "The Big Lie". And the United States Office of Strategic Services also ascribed this technique to the Nazis, and actually that is the one that stuck best in people's minds when the Nazis lost the war.

Now don't ask me what particular untruth "The Big Lie" was referring to, I don't know. It is not mentioned either in the Wikipedia entry. I kind of suspect the whole thing is a myth. I mean you know they are lying, I know they are lying, but we just can't quite nail down what the lie is.

Well, from what I can see the Nazis actually were not lying. Yes, I know this is maybe the most shocking statement of all. So if anyone can come up with some Nazi lies, let me know. I'm sure there were some, in that lying is a part of human nature. However it is not good propaganda to lie about things, and there are so many other more effective techniques, and techniques that dont backfire on you, why lie. It is dangerous and unnecessary.

So what about the Nazi allegations of racial superiority, breaking treaties, or blaming the Jews for everything. At that time, such racist theories were current in America, England, Canada, and lots of other supposedly non evil countries. By my definition (hope I am not accused of changing the rules to make a point) when almost everyone believes something it is not a lie. I would call it an accepted theory for that age, which later fell into disrepute. Of course it's pretty convenient after the war and the holocaust to distance yourself from your previous beliefs - but not fair. And everyone breaks treaties, I don't call that lying either, but I can see how some people might.

It is very common for each side to claim the other is lying. Doesn't that constitute proof that there is a lot of lying in propaganda? Not really, as you can always find somone on the other side who is lying. Most often you will find that it is not the official propaganda, just an extremist sounding off without knowing the facts as well as they should. It happens a lot.

Even the Wikipedia entry says propaganda is understood to consist of a lot of falsehoods. But that is only because the Nazis admitted to using propaganda, and everyone "knew" the Nazis lied, therefore logical conclusion that propaganda consists of lies.

And some may say that Nazi propaganda lied "by omission". Maybe, for example, they forgot to mention killing the Jews. No, I don't think so. It was mentioned several times, in a general sense - not exactly how many, and who, where and when. Besides, when most people think of lying they think telling an untruth. Lying by omission is fair game to most people unless you are questioned under oath, or worse yet, being questioned by your mother.

And finally, for everyone emerging from a Bush administration where apparently lying was common - I'm going to have to put that one off for while. Were they really lying? Or were they lying by omission, or maybe quoting "facts that everyone knew?" It's a big topic, I'd like to get into it later. For now I'm trying to focus on the Nazis, as they were the ones who most famously used propaganda and boasted about it.