“Bolshevists are on the rise!”. Political cartoon and cinema as ideological means to spread the first red scare

This study delves into American anti-communist propaganda of 1919, revealing how political cartoons and silent films were strategically crafted to shape public opinion amid widespread social and political turmoil. The content analysis leads to several results. Through powerful symbols like the red flag and bomb-shaped helmets, propaganda instilled an exaggerated fear of communism, casting progressive ideologies as chaotic, treacherous, and a direct threat to societal stability. These intense depictions of radicals, alongside calls for local militias over centralized police, signal a deep-seated resistance to social equality and a reinforcement of traditional, patriarchal values in American society. By drawing on Anglo-Israelism and weaving in racial and anti-Semitic prejudices, this propaganda tapped into latent xenophobia, further dividing the social landscape. The portrayal of women who rejected conventional roles underscored opposition to modernization and feminist movements, revealing anxieties about social change. This research provides a critical perspective on these tools of influence, illustrating how propaganda techniques from the past still resonate in shaping public perceptions of ideological threats, and offering insight into the lasting power of media to direct political and social narratives.