Strong and Sly Speeches

World War II is remembered because of the bombing in Britain, the bloody battle of Stalingrad, and the infamous D Day. However, it’s also remembered because of the speeches it gave birth to. Winston Churchill’s promise to Britain, Joseph Goebbels’ total war cry to Germany, and Emperor Hirohito’s condolences to Japan all had a tremendous effect on the audiences who heard them. However, as persuasive as they all were at the time, all three speeches boast claims that are ridiculously untrue. Churchill, Goebbels, and Hirohito attempt to justify their actions by leading their people to believe that their respective nations are the victims, and that without action on their part, Eastern or Western civilization will cease to exist.

Each of the three leaders presents their nation as being innocent victims. Churchill expresses that Britain’s purpose is “to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime.” He uses the word “monstrous” to emphasize the fact that the other nation is most definitely the bad guy and England needs to defend itself. In order, to put Bolshevism and Jewish people in the worst light possible Goebbels says that “they want to bring chaos to the Reich and Europe. We could see, if the danger were not overcome, the specter of hunger, misery, and forced labor by millions of Germans.” He portrays them as imperial hungry mongrels who want to take over Germany. He does this to be able to say that Germany’s attacks back will simply be out of self-defense. Emperor Hirohito says “the enemy has begun to employ a new and a most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable.” He wants his citizens to know that Japan’s surrender was not dishonorable. It was necessary to keep the nation from being annihilated.

Besides playing the victim card, all three leaders justify their actions by harping on the “fact” that if their nation doesn't do something whole civilizations will fall apart. Hirohito justifies the attacks on the West by saying it was out of Japan’s “sincere desire to insure Japan’s self-preservation and the stabilization of East Asia.” Hirohito wants to convince his people that if Japan hadn't fought the Western powers then East Asia would have been at risk of being destroyed. Churchill does the same thing by saying “no survival for the British Empire, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward toward its goal.” He aims to convince his people that the human race depends on Britain’s success. Goebbels is probably the biggest culprit of this either-or scare tactic. He explains that Germany is the only country that sees Bolshevism for the danger it is. Then he flat out states that “only the German Reich and its allies are in the position to resists this danger.” He wants to infuse this “defender of the world” mentality into other Germans so that they will comply with his “total war” plan. The sense of urgency and duty that stems from these claims is the reason why these speeches were so effective. The Germans and the English were spurred into action, while the Japanese were comforted and consoled.