The Big Lie
Encyclopedia
The Big Lie was a 1951 anti-communist
propaganda film
produced by the US Army. It begins with the quote by Adolf Hitler
: "The great masses will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one" and likens the Communist regimes of the Soviet Union
, Eastern Europe
, China
and North Korea
to the former Nazi regime
.
It then exposes the creation of Kremlin-controlled puppet regimes in those countries, describing how the people were "sold out". Consistent with American thinking of the time, Communist China is also described as a Soviet puppet state. Footage of marching
is shown for each of the satellite states.
The final part of the film attacks peace movement
s linked to the Communists, contrasting their rhetoric with the realities of Communist warmongering in Greece
, Indochina, Korea
and China
. The concluding slogan is "Beware the big lie! Beware the dove that goes BOOM!" It shows a cartoon of a dove metamorphosing into a Soviet tank
– its wings have become tank treads, and its head is a tank turret. This cartoon http://a6.idata.over-blog.com/499x378/0/52/17/56/colombe_boum-mieux.jpg was first used by the French anti-communist group Paix et Liberté
.
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
propaganda film
Propaganda film
The term propaganda can be defined as the ability to produce and spread fertile messages that, once sown, will germinate in large human cultures.” However, in the 20th century, a “new” propaganda emerged, which revolved around political organizations and their need to communicate messages that...
produced by the US Army. It begins with the quote by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
: "The great masses will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one" and likens the Communist regimes of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
to the former Nazi regime
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
It then exposes the creation of Kremlin-controlled puppet regimes in those countries, describing how the people were "sold out". Consistent with American thinking of the time, Communist China is also described as a Soviet puppet state. Footage of marching
Marching
See also: Loaded marchMarching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady and rhythmic walking forward, usually associated with military troops.Marching is often performed to march music, and often associated with military parades....
is shown for each of the satellite states.
The final part of the film attacks peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
s linked to the Communists, contrasting their rhetoric with the realities of Communist warmongering in Greece
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
, Indochina, Korea
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and China
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
. The concluding slogan is "Beware the big lie! Beware the dove that goes BOOM!" It shows a cartoon of a dove metamorphosing into a Soviet tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
– its wings have become tank treads, and its head is a tank turret. This cartoon http://a6.idata.over-blog.com/499x378/0/52/17/56/colombe_boum-mieux.jpg was first used by the French anti-communist group Paix et Liberté
Paix et Liberté
Paix et Liberté was an anti-communist movement that operated in France during the 1950s.-Founding:In response to the Stockholm Appeal , Jean-Paul David, then Radical Socialist Party deputy mayor of Mantes-la-Jolie and later Secretary General of the Rally of Republican Lefts , created Paix et...
.
External links
- Complete film on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Transcript of "The Big Lie"