Immediately following The Second World War, the global community faced the challenge of rebuilding not only physically, but also ideologically. Though not as escalated in terms of physical violence as the 1940s and World War II, the 1950s saw the continuation of strife between countries with the emergence of the Cold War and a theoretical battle between Communism and Capitalism.  In addition to the actual rhetoric, the Cold War was the ramping up of the use of stereotypes in conducting propaganda toward the public.  This use of stereotyping in the 1950s allowed for dehumanization of the enemy, making the more humanized nation appear more rational, functioned as a justification for foreign conflict, and appealed to the public by creating an “us versus them” psyche that was palpable to the public and rallied them to their nation’s cause.  These four images of propaganda exemplify this rhetoric of stereotyping between capitalism and communism during the Cold War that helped shape the public’s perception of what this conflict was.

Propaganda of the Cold War in the 1950s differed from that of World War II and previous conflicts in that it did not directly deal with images of warfare or the barbarism of the enemy, but rather it had to do with political policies of other nations and justification for conflicts such as the Korean War.  Though not a traditional war, scholars still describe the era as a war and suggest that “wartime propaganda was deliberate, systematic, and an attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist” (Jowett and O’Donnell 181).  For example, the bottom right picture of those above is titled Uncle Sam versus the Bear of Communism.  The picture on the right shows the Soviet Bear looming over the globe and Uncle Sam, and on the left we see the image switched, with Uncle Sam looming over the World and the Soviet Bear.  These complimentary images were produced by both nations.  The use of arrows to show the spread of communism was justification for the United States’s policy of containment during the Cold War, and also justified U.S. intervention in other countries.  However, this image can be twisted the exact opposite way, with the U.S. as the foreign aggressor, and the Soviet Union as the only thing that can prevent its spread of capitalism and consumerism.  The United States’ depiction of the U.S.S.R. as an aggressive bear exemplifies “us versus them” rhetoric of the time period by suggesting that the east as a vicious and uncivilized part of the world that must be contained.  Truman would go on to use containment as a policy during the Cold War (Brewer 153).  The impending doom suggested by these images would persuade the public of the U.S. as well as the U.S.S.R. to allow their respective governments to “do what they must” to combat threats to their way of life.

Similarly, in the image on the top right, taken from a set of trading cards titled Fight the Red Menace, is the justification for intervention in the East to defeat the spread of communism, this time against China.  This piece of propaganda shows that 1950s propaganda utilized racial prejudices and clichés of dehumanization to justify conflict as a shield of political ideals and to preserve one’s lifestyle.  The fall of China to communism in 1949 was seen as a major loss for the U.S. during the Cold War, but it also changed how the U.S. perceived China.  Prior to the Cold War, the United States used rhetoric of the “good Asian” or “bad Asian” to explain to the public who was on the side of capitalism, and who was on the side of fascism or socialism, respectively (Brewer 142).  Once America’s ally in World War II, China was now seen as barbaric and ogre like, shifting their perception of the Chinese from a “good Asian” to of “bad Asian.”  In the picture, Moa Zedong is green faced with a maniacal grin and in the background is an ape with a bloody sword, furthering stereotyping of Asians as monkey-like seen similarly in propaganda against Japan in World War II, and the trope of dehumanization.  The writing on the card explains that “The free world must find a way to keep war-makers like Mao Tse-tung from shedding the blood of innocent people.” This statement, although most likely seen by children (being a trading card), serves as a justification for intervention in the East to contain the spread of Mao’s ideals, and projected the triumph of the Free World (the West) over communism.

Stereotypical propaganda such as this did not emerge only from the Soviet Union and the United States.  The image on the top left originated from an anti-communist party, called Paix et Liberté, in France during the beginning of the Cold War.  The image depicts a Stalin-like figure feigning a desire for peace, with a dove and a sign saying “peace,” when in fact his plans are much more sinister in reference to The Soviet Union’s  general attempts to persuade its own people and other nations that it was a bringer of peace and civilization (Brooks 224).  In his other hand is a mace like weapon and the man himself is very brutish, portraying the Soviet Union as a warmonger and a threat to world peace.  Though this image is more comical than the other images observed so far, it still exemplifies the “us versus them” rhetoric of the time in an equally disturbing way.  The Stalin like figure is red, and the rest of the image is cooler colors, like blue or black.  The look on his face is aggressive and deceptive, ready to strike at any second, perhaps suggesting the fear of an impending war.  This is enhanced by his hammer and sickle tattoo.  His posture almost makes him look like a gorilla, further dehumanizing him.  All in all, this image ties in to the overarching use of stereotyping in cold war to create polarization between Capitalism and Communism by re-framing the argument as Communism (war and conflict) versus Capitalism upholding peace and liberty.

The final image (bottom left) comes from a satirical magazine from East Germany (a Soviet State with a puppet government) titled Uhlenspiegel.  This image is specifically titled American Propaganda and seeks to show, with an abundance of examples, that the United States psyche of consumerism will destroy Germany’s rich culture in the name of profit.  This image is similar to the French image in that it shows us advertising all of the good that America brings, such as Coco Cola and the heart on the front, asserting we are here for peace and prosperity, when in fact the vehicle is a tank, and our plans may be in fact much more deceptive.  The message of this piece and medium in which it was disseminated would make it popular among the East German public.  This example and the image from Paix et Liberté shows the twisting of the narrative by both sides in the Cold War for personal gain.  These two images are also less heavy handed than the two first two, and require more analysis to get their full meaning, but overall attribute to creating an enemy, either to culture or to peace, and justify keeping them separate and contained.

Linking all of these images together is fear of change, or fear in general.  All of these images depict potential threats to life at the time, mainly peace, culture, and lifestyle.  Ironically though, these images were used to promote war and create an enemy, not preserve the status quo.  “Hot Spots” in the Cold War were common, such as Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, Afghanistan, and other third-world countries.  Though distant from the Homefront, the impact of these heated conflicts shaped the state of foreign relations today and molded the countries directly involved in the fighting, as well as the lives of those at home.  The 1950s saw the rise of McCarthyism and Duck and Cover in response to the Cold War; one to test a persons commitment to American ideals, and the other a poor attempt to save lives in the wake of a nuclear holocaust.  The fear that arose from these practices was also a powerful factor in driving propaganda should be considered a driving force for preserving American way of life, its own type of propaganda.  Similarly in the Soviet Union there was the fear of being black listed or becoming an enemy of the state.  Although purges ended in 1953 when Stalin died, there still was risk of losing party membership and losing access to several parts of society.  Capitalism and Communism were opposites sides of the same coin, each was scared of the unknown, furthering the hatred each had for the other.

In examining these four examples, it is evident that depicting the enemy through stereotypes was a common and persuasive way to rally the public behind a cause, and is not bound by just the Soviet Union and U.S., the countries at the foreground of the conflict.  In a sense, the Cold War was a world war in regards to policy and places affected by its rhetoric.  Driven by an “us versus them” mentality, the public let government do whatever it wanted to secure their version of peace, and defend their way of life.  In addition, stereotypes and dehumanization that carried over from World War II were utilized to justified U.S. and Soviet intervention in other nations. It is not a far leap to suggest that he fear the Cold War caused, often a result of effective propaganda, shaped the state of the world today.



Brooks, Jeffrey. Thank You, Comrade Stalin!: Soviet Public Culture from Revolution to Cold War. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000.

Charlton-Jones, Andrew. “Jo-Jo-La-Coloumbe,” We Want You! (Blog), Gustavus Adolphus College, November 13, 2016,

Jowett, Garth and Victoria O’Donnell. Propaganda and Persuasion. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, 2015.

Lindley, Carter. “The Bringer of American Consumerism,” We Want You! (blog), Gustavus Adolphus College, October 30, 2016,

“Red Menace (48) Bowman Gum (R701-12) United States.”  Accessed November 13, 2016.

Schrader, Lauren. “Uncle Sam Versus the Bear of Communism,” We Want You! (Blog), Gustavus Adolphus College, December 13, 2016,

1950s Propaganda and Stereotyping