An electron microscope which utilizes a polarized electron beam and can obtain a high contrast image of a sample is provided. The microscope includes: a laser; a polarization apparatus that polarizes a laser beam into a circularly polarized laser beam; a semiconductor photocathode that is provided with a strained superlattice semiconductor layer and generates a polarized electron beam when irradiated with the circularly polarized laser beam; a transmission electron microscope that utilizes the polarized electron beam; an electron beam intensity distribution recording apparatus arranged at a face reached by the polarized electron beam that has transmitted through the sample. An electron beam intensity distribution recording apparatus records an intensity distribution before and after the polarization of the electron beam is reversed, and a difference acquisition apparatus calculates a difference therebetween.