The Soviet Special Propaganda in the Second World War. Target: the Romanian Army

Abstract

The use of non-military means to achieve military and political goals has a long history. But each time, the tools to influence the emotional sphere of an enemy have been improved with the development of impact technologies and the emergence of new communication channels. Tasks such as demoralising the enemy, persuading to cease the armed struggle, motivating collaboration, were defined along with militant actions. The specialisation of this type of activity, the creation of appropriate authorities and the training of qualified personnel had been specified in the pre-war period and improved during the armed confrontation. The article targets one of the components of special propaganda focused on an enemy and its allies during the first period of the German-Soviet war (June 22, 1941 November 18, 1942). Printing and distributing leaflets was the most spread form of work with the enemy and its allies in the ideological branches of the Red Army. The specific features of the texts intended for enemy personnel and their allies were analysed through examples of leaflets addressed to Romanian soldiers and the Romanian Armed forces.