This is a cartoon that appeared in a pamphlet thought to be published in 1941. The Russian language pamphlet, titled We Do Not Want, was written by the Nazis for use as propaganda in the USSR during World War II. The cartoon shows a large jackboot kicking a Jewish man, who is drawn according to anti-Semitic stereotypes: he is wearing a black hat and has peyot (sidelocks), a large nose, and a large mouth filled with bad teeth. There is a large Star of David on his jacket to identify him as a Jew. Jackboots were worn by Nazi soldiers and came to symbolize Nazism. The message of the cartoon is that Jews should be kicked out of the USSR.
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German Invasion of the Soviet Union – Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. The USSR, taken by surprise by the invasion, was overwhelmed by the huge, well-prepared army, enabling German troops to advance deep into Soviet territory. As they captured land, the Germans brought in special mobile killing units called the Einsatzgruppen who were tasked with killing Jews, Communists, and others who were believed to be against the German invasion. Having advanced quickly, the Germans were not prepared for the harsh winter conditions and had surpassed their supply lines. By December 1941, the Soviet Army had turned the tide against the Germans who began to retreat. During their invasion of the USSR, the Germans published and distributed anti-Semitic propaganda to try and win over the Soviet citizens.
Nazi Propaganda – Adolf Hitler first wrote about the effectiveness of using propaganda to promote his cause in his book, Mein Kampf, which was published in 1926. His belief in the importance of propaganda was so strong that one of his first appointments on coming to power in 1933 was to make Joseph Goebbels the head of the Ministry of Propaganda. The ministry’s aim was to communicate the Nazi message through film, art, music, and the press. Anti-Semitism and the idea of Jews as the “other” were common themes of Nazi propaganda, which included cartoons with many negative stereotypes of Jews such as having large noses and being motivated by greed.
