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Teaching Scenario: Propaganda during the Metaxas Dictatorship (1936-1941)
Teaching Scenario: Propaganda during the Metaxas Dictatorship (1936-1941)
Class: High school (in our case the choice of class is at the disposal of the teachers who will implement the approach in the school context).
Lesson: History
Subject: Propaganda in the Metaxas dictatorship and the techniques of manipulation of public opinion
General objectives: As identified under the History Curriculum 2018 (n.d.).
Particular Purposes:
Historical Analysis: Students will study the circumstances leading up to Metaxas' dictatorship and analyze the political and social context of the time.
Understanding the Concept of Propaganda : Students will understand the concept and techniques of propaganda, and then approach the applications chosen by Metaxas' dictatorship.
Understand the techniques of Propaganda: Have students approach textual genres to identify expressive variation and verbal patterns, analyzing political discourse, recognizing how language, history, and ideology are used (or misused) in manipulating the masses.
Analysis of Historical Examples: have students analyse the above tools used by the regime to control information and cultivate state ideology.
Analysis of Ideological Directions.
Comparative Consideration: students should compare Metaxas' dictatorship with other totalitarian regimes in Europe (e.g. fascism, Nazism) and take a comparative approach to their techniques, identifying points of intersection or differentiation.
Critical Thinking: to develop critical thinking about the way propaganda affects society and compare it with similar contemporary practices.
Examination of Consequences: Have students discuss the consequences of the dictatorship on the political and social fabric of Greece, and the relationship of the regime to World War I
Prerequisite knowledge:
● Understanding of the terms of historical thought and consciousness and how they function in understanding history and their formative dynamics in interpreting it.
● Good knowledge of persuasive techniques (interdisciplinary with the Language course), source approach and documentary analysis.
● Basic knowledge of the historical context, the political situation in Greece before and during the inter-war period.
● Introductory knowledge of the Metaxas dictatorship (historical and socio-political context of the period).
Intended learning outcomes (common to all scenarios):
● To make students critical readers of different textual genres in order to understand and identify the basic techniques of propaganda, to develop critical thinking towards information so that they can distinguish manipulative messages.
● To make students understand the importance that totalitarian regimes (and not only) attached to the use of language and history as a legitimizing factor in manipulating the minds of the masses.
● To realize that the above abuses constitute a timeless phenomenon of indirect (or sometimes direct) imposition of the action of groups (political, religious, social) and legitimization of their theory through the instrumentalization of the historical past and by referring to social feeling (appeal to fear, reason, morality, etc.).
● Be able to situate themselves in time by understanding the dynamics of historical conditions and contexts (social, economic, political) in terms of enhancing the potential for the penetration of propaganda practices.
● Develop critical thinking in relation to information.
● Formulate arguments about the impact of propaganda on society.
Teaching application structure:
Teaching Hour( Based on the material presented in class and listed below):
Α. A. Diagnostic discussion/identification of students' prior knowledge (10 minutes)
1. Introduction to terms-conceptualization (fascism, Nazism propaganda. Teacher refers to the pages:
a. Fascism:
i. Dictionary of Common Greek: https://www.greek-language.gr/greekLang/modern_greek/tools/lexica/triantafyllides/search.html?lq=%CF%86%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%BC%CF%8C%CF%82&dq=
ii. Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/question/Where-does-the-word-fascism-come-from
b. Nazism:
i. Dictionary of Common Greek: https://www.greek-language.gr/greekLang/modern_greek/tools/lexica/triantafyllides/search.html?lq=%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%B6%CE%B9%CF%83%CE%BC%CF%8C%CF%82&dq=
ii. Britannica Encyclopedia: https://www.britannica.com/event/Nazism
c. Propaganda:
i. Dictionary of Common Greek: https://www.greek-language.gr/greekLang/modern_greek/tools/lexica/triantafyllides/search.html?lq=%CF%80%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%AC%CE%BD%CE%B4%CE%B1+&dq=
ii. Brittany Encyclopedia: https://www.britannica.com/topic/propaganda
2. Historical review: Presentation of the definition of propaganda and its various forms (political, social, war-white, black, grey).
3. Discussion on the importance of propaganda in totalitarian regimes and the techniques of its dissemination. Examples with basic techniques of media control, censorship, use of symbols, cultivating the mentality of Metaxas as “Father of the Nation”. Approaching the action of the National Youth Organization (NON) as a means of organizing, controlling and catechizing youth. Watching the posting: working battalions and EON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQS6BfDxkAs From:14:39 to 17:48 and comparison with the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HG3OmMXnoQ&list=PLRV12H386MjVChVXxKGLEKS7VZZ5c64a_&index=110
Classroom activity (15 minutes)
Students watch with the teacher clips from propaganda materials of the period (e.g. posters, texts, testimonies, audiovisual material from speeches by Metaxas and supporters of the regime) and discuss their first impressions.
Indicative classroom questions (15 minutes)
● Why do you think this magazine was published? (teacher refers to the digital repository webpage and browses through the publications and discusses with students the type of journal, its subject matter, how it began and how it developed.)
● From the available texts, can you identify places where a different ideology is targeted?
● How does the regime and its action appear? Can you identify examples from the texts?
● How Metaxas used propaganda to create a positive image of the regime and justify the dictatorship.
● How does Mrs. Fragia's testimony convey her personal experience? Do you think she still holds the same view?
● Studying the children's testimonies and looking at the corresponding photos, what are your feelings? Keeping Mrs. Fragia's testimony in mind, can you share your thoughts with the class?
● Examples of the use of propaganda to reinforce nationalist and anti-communist discourse (textual, visual).
Activity at home and its presentation to the class: With the teacher's guidance, students are divided into groups, each of which will approach a different piece of evidence (e.g. article, poster, radio extract) for analysis according to the methodology that was exemplified in class. Material to be approached and guidelines are given, where these were developed with the examples. In the next lesson, students will present to the class the techniques they identify and the message they believe the transmitter is trying to convey.
Propaganda techniques of the Metaxas regime and comparative analysis with other regimes or periods of Modern Greek history.
2nd Teaching Hour: Propaganda techniques of the Metaxas regime and comparative analysis with other regimes or periods of Modern Greek history.
Presentation of the work done in the groups and its development in class (10 minutes) (Examples)
1. Mussolini's Italy:
● Projection of Mussolini as a “douche” (leader) and savior of the nation.
● Use of radio, films and posters to promote fascist ideology.
● Use of the Latin term fasce to support his ideology which emphasized the concept of Roman greatness and national unity.
● Publication of a book (Musolini, B., “Fascismo” in Enciclopedia Italiana, vol.14th, pp. 847-884, 1932) with his positions.
2. Hitler's Germany:
● Projection of Hitler as “Führer” and messiah of the German people.
● Use of strong anti-Semitic propaganda and promotion of the Aryan race.
● Exploitation of the media under Joseph Goebbels to orchestrate propaganda.
● Staged targeting of the Jewish element through children's and family games.
● Publication of a book (Hitler, Ad. Mein Kampf ,1925) with his positions.
Starting from the last but common point, the publications of their political positions, we place the publications in historical time by approaching the historical context and especially the historical importance of the medium (book) in reaching the masses. It is worth noting that Mussolini's original text was written in 1927 (important chronologically) with the assistance of Giovanni Gentille, an idealist philosopher (where it can be approached as a legitimization of the ideology of the fascist phenomenon)
Class discussion of commonalities with Metaxas propaganda and comparison of techniques:
● Invoking the glorious past
● Appeal to emotion (fear, hope, anger).
● Use of stereotypes and pseudo-scientific arguments.
● Personalisation of the leader as a divine or heroic figure.
● Forms of dissemination and support of the ideology.
Suggested Material:
Mussolini:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIZ-Myd2i5o
Emphasis from 4:03 showing his speeches from cities in Italy.
Watching a brief historical retrospective regarding Hitler's rise to power (From 0:00 to 1:03. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSwQN_0KWAY . excerpt that gives us images and ideally frames (in my opinion) the period we will be examining as it also shows elements of propaganda (teary eyes, historical context, parade images).
History Channel:
Historical context of Hitler's rise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEk6zGYwyhc
Hitler as leader. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XnsYZxH2nI
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