Peasants and the Polish Countryside in German Propaganda within the General Government. Creation versus Reality

The article discusses the role of the Polish countryside and its inhabitants in the Nazi propaganda within the General Government and the propaganda constructions of the social attitudes of the rural inhabitants towards the occupation authorities and the rest of society. The German occupation authorities sought to exploit to the greatest possible extent the rural population as a workforce, which resulted in the manipulation and propaganda influence on this group. In this context, an important role was played by the press addressed to the rural inhabitants, including the wall newspaper “Nowiny” and the weeklies “Siew” and “Rolnik” as well as publications concerning the problems of peasant and agricultural issues published in daily information newspapers. Particular attention is given to the use of propaganda means/methods and its social effects on rural communities. The article analyzes the press materials from newspapers published in the Radom and Lublin Districts between 1939 and 1944.