World War 2 Propaganda Research Paper

To make money during World War 2, The Office of War created war bonds and used mass media to promote them. An article from The National WWII Museum website states, “The U.S. government produced posters, pamphlets, newsreels, radio shows, and movies-all designed to create a public that was 100% behind the war effort.” These types of propaganda were distributed all around America and were put everywhere from post offices to schools, but they all carried the same message that influenced

Through his employment of propaganda, President Wilson was able to: 1. Convince the American people to join the ranks, 2. Persuade Americans into accepting rations for food, 3. Involve women in the war effort, and 4. Sway Americans into buying government bonds (liberty bonds) to fund the war. We will discuss four main propaganda posters, which depict these four main themes of President Wilson’s push for war. In the end, President Wilson’s use of propaganda was ironically able to change the popular American opinion and convince them to support World War I.

Before discussing the importance and effectiveness of Disney’s wartime propaganda, it is imperative to have an intimate understanding of the term “propaganda” and what it implies. Propaganda is defined as “any organized attempt by an individual, group, or government verbally, visually, or symbolically to persuade a population to adopt its views and repudiate the views of an opposing group” (Laurie 6). While the term propaganda is usually uttered oozing with negative connotation, it is important to understand that it is not only the tool of “totalitarian regimes,” but is also employed by “liberal democracies” (Taylor 3). The only difference between these two propaganda users (or abusers) is the intended audience and the rival group being criminalized.

Source 3 is by far the best propaganda poster out of the 5 sources. This poster is directed toward women during World War II to find an occupation that will ultimately help their loved one come back from war. It uses appeals to the emotional response of the audience and uses the belief that by getting a war job, your loved one will come back from war quickly and safely. It is also based off of the exaggeration the your help, and only your help, will greatly affect the war effort, when in reality that isn’t necessarily true. A woman getting a job in making cartridges for guns will not increase or decrease the chance of a loved one dying. This poster is sufficient enough to persuade women because the purpose is easy

During WW2 the British used several forms of propaganda to get citizens to come together and serve the British Military and workforce, These pieces of propaganda worked in several ways by convincing citizens that if they didn't come together to serve the country, that they would thus loose the war.

The second type of poster was the "Victory" poster. In this type of poster, the United States flag and a solider in uniform were shown to give off a patriotic feeling and accompanied by words such as " America, Now and Forever". These posters also used symbols such as Uncle Sam, the American Eagle, and most of all the Stars and Stripes. The third type of posters, "Careless Talk" posters, were in contrast to "Victory" posters. These posters were designed to keep Americans from talking about the war. Talking may seem as harmless, however American authorities feared that spies would overhear American plans of attack and would relay this information to Axis powers. Although not using nation symbols, symbols such as were death, such as a paratrooper and others with cemetery crosses. These posters commonly used the cause-and-effect idea. An example of this is represented in a poster showing a spaniel gazing over his dead owner's naval collar with the words "...because someone talked" underneath. According to Photoworld, "Because someone talked, the spaniel has lost his master, and it conveys a sense of loss." By perceiving this sense of loss, Americans would give their sympathy to the war and to the men and women who were fighting. To attract public compassion for

Flashes of World War II propaganda cartoons from Germany, Japan and the United States demonstrate how they were by picturing the other species as rats and snakes. Based on these cartoons and images, which have some same points such as visual metaphor and hostile cliches to characterize and dehumanize their enemies, Dr. Keen believes that they are drawn from the artists being at the same schools.

As already mentioned, the United States readily took part in the propaganda parley of World War II. The threat of subversive Nazi propaganda on U.S. soil caused private citizens to use their contacts to pressure the government into counteracting the “attack on democracy” (Laurie 30-32). This spurred the creation of government organizations such as the U.S. Office of the Coordinator of Information (COI) and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The role of these organizations was to oversee the propaganda released on behalf of the government (Laurie 45). The military naturally became involved in the creation and implementation of propaganda films to promote anti-Nazi feelings across a nation immersed in a global war. Also, the hope was that these films would act as a morale booster necessary in a nation that had just experienced the horrors of Pearl Harbor (Fyne 12).

As noted earlier, radio was used widely and extensively during World War II. War correspondents, military leaders, and political leaders at different points of the world were able to use radio as a form of propaganda. All of the major nations recognized the power of radio to transmit information and use certain rhetoric to influence people domestically and abroad. Wartime propaganda focused on positive themes, such as patriotism and hope as well as negative themes, such as fear of the enemy and hatred. While radio broadcasting aimed to increase the feelings of patriotism similar to the United States forces, the enemy also used it as a tool for shaping the minds of people and soldiers.

Enlistment was a crucial element to the war, as if no one signed up to join Britain’s war effort they would stand no chance against the opposing alliances, especially their main opposing force; Germany. As the British government needed as many willing participants as possible, when the war first started, techniques were used to try and gain as many candidates for the war as possible. Propaganda was one of the most powerful, influential and effective techniques for enlistment used in this time, especially for Britain. According

After being thrust into the Second World War after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a majority of Americans came together, driven by shock and nationalism. “Avenge Pearl Harbor!” became a rallying cry for Americans across the nation. The effort of mobilization encompassed the entire nation; from big business to private companies to “victory gardens,” the nation was ready for a two-front war, in terms of machinery and morale. Wartime manufacturing mass-produced thousands of aircraft, armored vehicles, and trucks, along with new inventions such as the radar and early computers. Propaganda, mostly in the form of posters and political cartoons, sprouted everywhere to incite nationalism and a sense of duty to Americans. However, for German, Italian, and Japanese Americans, American World War II propaganda was typically used against them.

During World War II, propaganda was used for a number of reasons, it not only showed how anyond could be of use to the war efforts, but it also showed that every person could contribute as well. These posters empowered everyone to stand behind their nation's Army, and to continue contributing to the war efforts. The posters showed that everyone is needed, that anyone could make a difference, and some even emphasized certain values to those who are already helping with the war effort.

During the time of World War II there was a lot of propaganda circulating. There were techniques in these posters that persuaded people to join the war, donate to the war, and overall do their best to help as they could. I think this was executed properly. When looking at the posters they all have a subtle way of making you feel like you can be useful and do your part. It feels like you are helping in the fight against something.

During World War II, many countries used propoganda, a piece of media used to promote a purpose, to direct citizens attention to war efforts. Through the use of a variety of persuasvie techniques Great Britian was able to use propoganda to recruit citizens into the war efforts. This is due to the fact that ordinary people saw "everyone" contributing to a simple solution such as, working in a factory to build parts becuase they were inspired to have a say in how long the war would continue. Thus, the techniques that were used in propoganda proved to be effective during that time by persuading and inspiring people to contribute to World War II.

During the World War II, propaganda was shown in different ways. Most of the propaganda were project as cartoons and animated movies. Most of them were shown in newspaper and printed posters who served to influence people´s minds (Samborski, n.d)