The classroom as an arena for political propaganda: Communism and Nazism in Latvian classrooms (1940-1956)

Abstract

This paper discerns and describes how two dictatorships – Nazi German and Soviet – used schools and classroom culture, to propagandize its political ideology and agenda. It reveals those elements of classroom culture (symbols, rituals, traditions, a/o) that are emotionally most sensitive and, thus, most appropriate for the purposes of political propaganda. This case study focuses on the Latvian experience from 1940 to 1956 when political regimes in this country changed three times. Classroom culture in Latvia was questioned through the focus of propaganda following such questions: 1) What does a totalitarian power find to be important in classroom culture for the development of propaganda policies? Who are the main heroes and who are the second ones in propaganda? 2) Did propaganda really penetrate into daily life as it was expected by authorities? How was the classroom adapted to the interests of political power in reality? 3) How can we assess effectiveness of propaganda over the course of history? And, is it even possible? The speed of information in history – how and when did propaganda reach the classroom? 4) Who were the authors of visual propaganda? When and what type of propaganda materials were made by children? 5) What is the antonym/opposite of the concept “propaganda”? How pupils and teachers resisted to propaganda?