Empowering the “Jewish threat”: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the most influential fake in contemporary history. The persuasive power of the Protocols comes from the combination of a particular series of stereotypes from secular anti-Semitism, enhanced with contents outlining the “conspiracy”. To understand the success of the Protocols, it is necessary to examine the content of the group images and stereotypes conveyed by the text. The text has been content analyzed using psychological theories and methods. Specifically, the Protocols are investigated within the framework of the stereotype content model (SCM; Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002) and the theory of group images (Alexander, Brewer, & Herrmann, 1999). We expected to find an envious stereotype content of the Jewish group, which results from their being perceived as low in warmth but high in competence. Moreover, we expected that such a representation fit the image of the ‘enemy’. Results are in line with our predictions.