Film backdrop image for World War 2 As Propaganda (2025)

202532 minPG-13current-affairs

World War Ii Geopolitics Historical Events

World War 2 As Propaganda

202532 minPG-13current-affairs

World War II's impact on contemporary Europe is explored through contrasting narratives in Poland and Russia, highlighting how these perspectives shape national identities and geopolitical dynamics.

World War Ii Geopolitics Historical Events

Genres

Channel: ARTE.tv Documentary

World War 2 As Propaganda

2025• 32 minPG-13

Synopsis

World War II's impact on contemporary Europe is explored through contrasting narratives in Poland and Russia, highlighting how these perspectives shape national identities and geopolitical dynamics.

Synopsis

World War II continues to shape contemporary Europe, particularly through the differing narratives in Poland and Russia. In Poland, the trauma of the war is a central element of national identity, influencing collective memory and cultural expressions. Conversely, Russia's government has leveraged the legacy of the Great Patriotic War to bolster its political agenda, promoting a narrative that emphasizes heroism and sacrifice. These contrasting perspectives not only reflect historical experiences but also play a crucial role in current geopolitical relationships within Europe.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Why We Fight: Prelude to War (2015)

Why We Fight: Prelude to War

2015•52m•★6.4TMDB

One hundred seventy years of freedom is framed as the basis for America's fight against totalitarian regimes during World War II.

Why We Fight: Prelude to War

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (2015)

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia

2015•1h23m•★6.9TMDB

185,000 square miles of Russian land were freed during the winter campaign of 1942, marking a significant turning point against the Axis powers.

Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia

3+ Hours Of WW2 Facts To Fall Asleep To (2024)

3+ Hours Of WW2 Facts To Fall Asleep To

10,000 German soldiers were killed and 350 tanks destroyed during a single day of combat in the largest armored battle of World War II.

3+ Hours Of WW2 Facts To Fall Asleep To

Europe Saga: How Europe Rebuilt Itself After World War II (2026)

Europe Saga: How Europe Rebuilt Itself After World War II

Post-World War II Europe experienced unprecedented peace and prosperity, but the rise of nationalism and events like Brexit threaten this unity.

Europe Saga: How Europe Rebuilt Itself After World War II

Why We Fight: War Comes to America (2015)

Why We Fight: War Comes to America

World War II events that influenced U.S. involvement are depicted through historical dramatizations, including the attack on Pearl Harbor and the rise of Nazi Germany.

Why We Fight: War Comes to America

Russia: Putin's World View (2021)

Russia: Putin's World View

Victory Day in Russia, celebrated on May 9, serves as a platform for Vladimir Putin to reinforce national identity and promote his political agenda through historical narratives.

Russia: Putin's World View

How Europe Rebuilt After the Nazi Nightmare and The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1948) (2026)

How Europe Rebuilt After the Nazi Nightmare and The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1948)

In 1945, post-war Europe faced the challenge of reckoning with National Socialism, leading to the Nuremberg Trials and the establishment of laws to protect humanity.

How Europe Rebuilt After the Nazi Nightmare and The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1948)

The Entire History of the Cold War (2021)

The Entire History of the Cold War

On December 25, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, marking the official end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War that lasted over 40 years.

The Entire History of the Cold War

The Explosive Sequence Of Events That Triggered WW2 (2026)

The Explosive Sequence Of Events That Triggered WW2

The invasion of China and the fall of Poland, Belgium, and France marked the brutal onset of World War II, highlighting strategic failures and key figures like Winston Churchill.

The Explosive Sequence Of Events That Triggered WW2

The Bloody Aftermath of WW2 (2026)

The Bloody Aftermath of WW2

The aftermath of World War II saw the liberation of Nazi death camps, violent reprisals against collaborators in France, and the mass displacement of millions across Europe and Asia.

The Bloody Aftermath of WW2

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History (2019)

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed more people worldwide than combat during World War One.

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi (2025)

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi

In ancient Greece, the Oracle of Delphi served as a pivotal religious site where priestesses delivered prophecies attributed to the god Apollo.

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi

Explore World War 2 As Propaganda

Where else to watch

The World at War (1973)

The World at War

1973•26h•★7.1TMDB

World War II, marked by the rise of totalitarian regimes and culminating in the fall of Berlin in 1945, is explored through interviews and archival footage.

The World at War

Town of Glory (2020)

Town of Glory

2020•1h30m•★6.2TMDB

Memory of World War II is preserved in every home of a small Russian town, shaping its identity and influencing its involvement in a new conflict.

WWII & Cinema (2020)

WWII & Cinema

2020•46m•★10.0TMDB

A history of World War II film traces its evolution from the war years to the present, reflecting public interest in both the horrors and heroism of conflict.

World War II: Total War (2018)

World War II: Total War

2018•50m•★5.8TMDB

World War II transformed the nature of conflict, blurring the lines between military and civilian life through widespread destruction, genocide, and total mobilization.

World War II: Total War

The War You Don't See (2010)

The War You Don't See

2010•1h37m•★7.8TMDB

Uncovering the media's role in shaping perceptions of war over time.

The War You Don't See

Volviendo a casa (2019)

Volviendo a casa

2019•1h29m•★6.0TMDB

Forty-five crew members of the Italian submarine Macalle were stranded on a deserted island in the Red Sea after their vessel sank in 1941.

Volviendo a casa

Browse more like this

Europe Saga: How Europe Rebuilt Itself After World War II (2026)

Europe Saga: How Europe Rebuilt Itself After World War II

Post-World War II Europe experienced unprecedented peace and prosperity, but the rise of nationalism and events like Brexit threaten this unity.

Europe Saga: How Europe Rebuilt Itself After World War II

No digital watch option in your country

How Europe Rebuilt After the Nazi Nightmare and The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1948) (2026)

How Europe Rebuilt After the Nazi Nightmare and The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1948)

In 1945, post-war Europe faced the challenge of reckoning with National Socialism, leading to the Nuremberg Trials and the establishment of laws to protect humanity.

How Europe Rebuilt After the Nazi Nightmare and The Nuremberg Trials (1945–1948)

No digital watch option in your country

The Explosive Sequence Of Events That Triggered WW2 (2026)

The Explosive Sequence Of Events That Triggered WW2

The invasion of China and the fall of Poland, Belgium, and France marked the brutal onset of World War II, highlighting strategic failures and key figures like Winston Churchill.

The Explosive Sequence Of Events That Triggered WW2

No digital watch option in your country

The Bloody Aftermath of WW2 (2026)

The Bloody Aftermath of WW2

The aftermath of World War II saw the liberation of Nazi death camps, violent reprisals against collaborators in France, and the mass displacement of millions across Europe and Asia.

The Bloody Aftermath of WW2

No digital watch option in your country

Hollywood's Second World War (2019)

Hollywood's Second World War

2019•1h30m•★8.0TMDB

Four Hollywood directors returned to Europe during World War II to create propaganda documentaries for the US Army, influencing American morale.

Hollywood's Second World War

Laboratory Greece (2019)

Laboratory Greece

2019•2h45m•★8.0TMDB

Greece's history from World War II to the economic crisis illustrates the fragility of democracy, as highlighted by Paul Craig Roberts' warning about its potential collapse in Europe.

Laboratory Greece

39-40: The War Through a Lens (2010)

39-40: The War Through a Lens

2010•1h50m•★6.0TMDB

A chronological sequence of newsreels from 1939 to 1940 reveals how World War II was portrayed in theaters across Germany, France, and Britain.

39-40: The War Through a Lens

Poland 1939: When German Soldiers Became War Criminals (2019)

Poland 1939: When German Soldiers Became War Criminals

2019•52m•★8.0TMDB

On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany launched an invasion of Poland, leading to widespread brutality by German soldiers against the local population.

Poland 1939: When German Soldiers Became War Criminals

Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film (1998)

Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film

1998•1h28m•★7.6TMDB

Abraham Zapruder's footage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963, is digitally remastered to reveal new details and its impact on public perception.

Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film

Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story (2017)

Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story

2017•26m•★10.0TMDB

At 99 years old, Dorothy Toy Fong continues to perform, demonstrating her lifelong dedication to tap dance and the joy it brings to audiences.

Dancing Through Life: The Dorothy Toy Story

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →