| The leaflet is one of the most widespread propaganda tools used in nearly all armed conflicts of the 20th century. With the development of technologies for paper production, printing, and material distribution (especially the advancement of aviation), leaflets became a relatively cheap yet highly effective means of reaching all participants in an armed conflict - both soldiers on both sides of the front and civilians in the rear, particularly those who had to flee into refugee camps ahead of enemy forces. According to all the rules of wartime propaganda, they often contained numerous falsehoods, but sometimes they also presented facts that the opposing side was at least subconsciously aware of, while all promises made in them were typically false and served solely as a means of demoralizing the enemy. During World War II, one of the most complex armed conflicts in Europe was raging in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and the Serbian people found themselves at the center of that fire. Leaflets were written and distributed by all warring parties, as can be seen in this collection, which is taken from the rich Graphic Collection of the National Library of Serbia. It is important to emphasize that the majority of leaflets were printed by the occupiers and their quisling formations, while the two resistance armies - operating in the area stretching from the Karavanki to Đevđelija - had to manage with improvised printing presses and vastly inferior technological capabilities. The leaflets in this collection are not organized according to any chronological or thematic criteria and cover the period from the beginning of the war in 1941 to the first post-war elections in November 1945. |
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