Can Posters Kill?: Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II

How did Hitler and the Nazi Party convince millions of people that the murder of Jews during the Holocaust was not only justifiable but correct? What can we learn from one of the most horrific times in history? Can Posters Kill? uses rare, historical posters to take readers on a visual journey from medieval anti-Jewish artwork to the venomous Nazi propaganda of the Second World War. These posters show how powerful propaganda can be as a tool for spreading hate: how repetition, vivid imagery, and urgent messaging promote intense emotional reactions—fear, distrust, loyalty, revulsion—that can be used to create a coordinated campaign to impact the way we think. By understanding the visual language of propaganda from the past, we can learn to recognize and resist messages of hate—an essential skill in a digital world where information is spread in seconds.