| This dissertation examines the semiotic constituents of three pictorial and textual motifs (fire, flag, and blood) in German poster propaganda during the greater part of the 20th century. This analysis investigates the continuity and discontinuity of these semiotic constituents under the Second Empire, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and both Germanies after World War II within the broader context of German 20-century social and political history.;The motifs fire, flag, and blood were employed in the propaganda of every 20th century German political system. As common symbols with particular connotations, they were effectively co-opted to promote the government's point of view. This study refutes the often stated, but unproven, thesis of propaganda as seduction (“Verführungsthese”). Propagandists can only channel, direct, widen, focus, or strengthen already existing attitudes of the public towards certain subjects. Therefore, propaganda reflects not only the propagandists' goals, but also their point of departure (i.e. the more or less established attitudes of the public).;This dissertation shows how propagandists attempted to use their limited possibilities to influence public opinion by changing the meaning of these three motifs over time by adding, substituting, and changing semiotic constituents of visual propaganda. Beyond a detailed study of motifs, this dissertation provides answers to formal questions concerning the semiotic relationship between the pictorial and textual representations of these symbols, and the specific role that each medium plays in conveying a message. Finally, this dissertation examines the contribution of the poster as propaganda within the framework of 20th century German propaganda. |
