All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

If one looks at propaganda posters from World War I and II, one often sees an ugly portrayal of the enemy leader, stereotypical portrayals of enemy citizens, or heroic depictions of men from one’s home country followed by motivational text. Despite the obvious fallacies that are being used, scare tactics are great methods of promoting nationalism within a country. Propaganda posters and media were widespread during both World Wars, within both opposing powers. To unite the people of a country, it is necessary to invoke a sense of nationalism into them. In All Quiet on the Western Front, the schoolmaster Kantorek drilled into his students’ heads poems and pretty ideas about nationalism and eventually convinced them to enlist in Germany’s army during World War I. Through the course of the book, the protagonist of the novel and his comrades shine candor through the romanticized ideals of war, and this is what makes the book such a powerful antiwar novel. However, to a military leader, opacity is vital in rallying national support. In Hitler’s case, it was vital to hide from the people the horrors of full-scale war. Governments have the right to censor media in order to build a military base, and to bring the country together without internal conflict.

The dirty thing about war is that in order for it to be fought, men have to fight, suffer, and possibly lose their lives. Most would not knowingly walk into a suicidal mission, and therefore they must be lured in, as Kantorek lured his students. His wise phrases romanticised what the young men would face, but nonetheless, they enlisted. These words would obviously have been countered by a book like All Quiet on the Western Front, and so inhibiting those who wish to access it during wa...

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...not know the whole story of what is going on overseas, it is easier for their government to keep them content and involved in the war effort. This can be done my censoring anti war novels such as All Quiet on the Western Front, like Nazi Germany pre-WWII. In this way, nationalism grows without the possibility of an interruption from unwanted media sources. A leader in this situation must find a strong military base, as well as keep that strong base content. Similar to its soldiers, a nation must keeps its common citizens content. This can be done through propaganda, which presents the false, stereotypical view of the enemy that is important in promoting nationalism. Censorship also helps to calm internal conflict within a state. Overall, censorship is an essential tool to build a successful military base, and to bring a country together without military conflict.