During the webinar the participants learned how posters, photographs, speeches, and other primary sources can effectively teach students about propaganda and historical disinformation.
PhD Dagmara Moskwa showing parallels between Soviet-era and modern Russian propaganda, highlighted the persistence of themes like anti-fascism, the glorification of a strong leader, and the portrayal of Russia as a liberator.
The event concluded with practical tools for combating misinformation, such as the EUvsDisinfo website and Hi-story Lessons teaching resources, empowering educators and researchers to address distorted narratives effectively.
The Russian Perspective on World War II
The speaker delved into modern Russia’s interpretation of World War II, emphasizing the importance of the Great Patriotic War in Russian historical consciousness. The war is presented as both a patriotic defense of the Soviet homeland and a liberation effort that brought freedom to Europe. These narratives serve as foundational myths to shape contemporary Russian politics and identity.
The speaker contrasted the Russian view of the early years of World War II with the Western perspective. In Russia, the years 1939–1941 are often downplayed as a European conflict that did not directly involve the USSR, with the invasion of June 1941 marking the war’s true beginning in Soviet memory.
“The Great Patriotic War shifts the focus of Hitler’s crimes, presenting the Soviet people as the main victims instead of the Jewish population, often diminishing the Holocaust’s importance in Russia’s historical memory.”
Visual Thinking Method in analyising historical sources
During the webinar the participants had possibility to test Visual Thinking Method in the real time. The spekaer, Dr Dagmara Moskwa displayed a Soviet poster without caption. She also asked several questions which might help students to analyse this historical source:
- What is going on in this picture?
- What do you see that makes you say that?
- What more can you find?
- What are the key visual and textual elements of this picture?
- What emotions or reactions might the creators of this poster have intended to evoke in its audience?
- How does the poster reflect the values or goals of the Soviet regime at the time?
After the short brainstorm, the participants could learn about proposed interpretation on the poster.
Soviet propaganda poster criticizing the Munich Agreement, 1938
- Wolf as Nazi Germany: At the center of the poster is a fierce wolf wearing a Nazi helmet with a swastika, representing Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
- Czechoslovakia as a “steak”: The wolf is being fed a piece of meat labeled “Czechoslovakia,” representing the Sudetenland handed over to Germany through the Munich Agreement.
- Western Powers as weiters: Two figures, resembling British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Édouard Daladier, are depicted as waiters.
- Uncle Sam and Isolation: In the background, Uncle Sam (representing the United States) observes passively, signifying American isolationism and lack of intervention in European affairs at the time.
- Signpost “На восток” (“To the East”): A sign pointing east suggests that Nazi Germany’s expansionist ambitions,
Modern Parallels: The Russo-Ukrainian War
The speaker connected historical propaganda narratives to contemporary events, particularly Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities justified the aggression using similar language of “liberation,” claiming their actions aimed to “denazify” Ukraine and protect ethnic Russians in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This rhetoric mirrors Soviet justifications for past territorial expansions.
“The official Russia’s discourse on the Russo-Ukrainian war mirrors the approach used by the Soviet authorities to justify the Soviet state’s role in starting the Second World War.”
Recommended links
- A research based on EUvsDisinfo data base
- Levada Analytical Center (Levada-Center) is a Russian non-governmental research organization. The center conducts regular monitoring of Russian public opinion, and also conducts research projects on order. Levada-Center conducts research for companies, universities, NGOs in Russia and across the world, as well as for international organizations.
Recording from the webinar „How to Spot Historical Fake News? Case Studies from the Second World War” from the 3 December 2024
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the officia/positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Re public of Poland.
