How Does Propaganda Affect People

Propaganda is a tool for manipulating and changing the opinions people. The bases of propaganda have come forth form the modes of persuasion, Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

Propaganda is information that is biased and used to promote a particular cause or point of view. Propaganda was used through movies, radios, news channels, posters, and movies. Propaganda was very important during this time because without it, people won’t join the army and the country will be at risk. Everywhere people looked there was propaganda. Propaganda influenced many people to serve During World War Two. In A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, he shows how the students in there school were easily persuaded to enlist in the war. The three main ways that propaganda was used to persuade individuals to enlist in the war are posters, films, and media.

Ever since its birth as a country in 1776, the United States of America has been a country surrounded by a certain aura that is not shared by other countries throughout the world. The country is one that was born out of a struggle and revolution, which has helped shape the character of its citizens and its national identity. Throughout the various wars the country has fought, such as the war of 1812, both World Wars, and the Vietnam War, propaganda has played an important role in influencing the people of America. The government of the United States has effectively used propaganda over the centuries to generate funds for war or relief efforts, save resources for war efforts, to get out and work or to possibly sway the minds of its citizens towards particular political ideals. Propaganda throughout the history of the United States, and throughout the world, have had various themes such as slandering an enemy as seen in anti-German, Italian, and Japanese propaganda in World War 2, or the opposite when trying to gain support for an ally. The main purpose of propaganda throughout history has been to persuade people to buy into or follow a set of ideals set out by whoever created the propaganda. Propaganda has played a large part in shaping the understanding of the United States by causing its citizens to buy into the beliefs of the government, which is a large reason why the country was able to become the great nation that it is today.

“Propaganda is the art of persuasion - persuading others that your 'side of the story' is correct. Propaganda might take the form of persuading others that your military might is too great to be challenged; that your political might within a nation is too great or popular to challenge etc.”

War propaganda is a tactic often used throughout history in order to increase nationalism and involve citizens in war efforts. World War Two was no different when it came to the use of this propaganda. The United States specifically used all sorts of propaganda against the Axis powers. In particular, the United States targeted Japan with loads of racially charged wartime propaganda, and Japan did the same thing back at the United States. Two countries with vastly different customs and looks were quickly able to make propaganda that made the other side look like awful people to their own citizens. John Dower outlines this sort of propaganda in his novel War Without Mercy. In this novel, Dower goes over how propaganda is made effectively and

There was propaganda produced to deliver these exact messages during the war in every country, however some good examples of this can be seen in the Propaganda Lecture Slides that were presented to us. One poster depicted a German soldier nonchalantly stabbing a baby with his bayonet. While another displayed God descending from heaven to care for what appears to be a wounded soldier. There were also posters used to enforce peer pressure, which can be seen in a poster with some children asking their father, “Daddy what did YOU do during the war?” These posters were effective, and unexpectedly powerful due to the unprecedented use of industrialized media (Lecture). Concludingly, recent media innovations allowed for mass production of the written word and higher literacy rates led to an even greater impact for propaganda. This could also be seen with prominent writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and others who were a part of the British War Propaganda Bureau, otherwise known as Wellington House (Lecture).

"Propaganda was a huge tool used to sway citizens toward a particular political view. "The U.S.A. entered World War One in April 1917, but lost no time in producing many more propaganda posters than any other single nation. These encompassed recruitment to the various armed services, plus - frequently - the raising of war finance via

Getting all different types of citizens to join the war wasn’t the only way propaganda was used. It was also used to get financial support by giving people the idea it was the right thing to do to buy war bonds, and purchasing war saving stamps. A war bond is debt securities given by the government to finance the military operations that needed money. To buy a war bond is a very patriotic act because these bonds offer a rate of return below the market rate. An example of this type of propaganda can be seen in the advertisement “Bachelor of

The United States government has historically used propaganda to entice, encourage, and even shame a person into enlisting in to the uniformed services and/or supporting the war effort. The effective use of propaganda does not only affect the American public’s opinion of a war and its leaders, but also affects their commitment to the war effort. Ineffective use (or lack of) of propaganda can lead to resentment and undermine public trust in its leaders and their ability to lead the nation. This essay will show how the use of media has either supported or hindered the effective use of governmental propaganda in influencing the American public during times of war and why is it sometimes not important to know what is the “whole truth.” The areas that will be covered will be the propaganda used during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I-II, the Cold War/Vietnam, and also it’s affect on public opinion.

It must be emphasized that the ultimate object of propaganda in war is the destruction of enemy morale, and its corollary, the strengthening of friendly morale. “It consists of the dissemination of ideas, designed to react in different ways upon their various recipients. The enemy must be made to feel that his cause is hopeless from the start, has no chance of ultimate success, and is based upon delusive ideals.” It is usually impossible to convince the responsible organizations of the hostile nation, such as the government or the army, though it may be advantageous to hinder them in their decisions. But it is comparatively easy to influence the rank and file, civilian as well as military, and to produce an atmosphere of hopelessness fatal to success.

"Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea." ( Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, 1926).

Propaganda is being used throughout history from as early as the 1600s. Adolf Hitler uses propaganda to brainwash Europe into believing that Jewish societies are wicked. In the Russian Revolution, propaganda is used through posters to either support or oppose Stalin’s ideas. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, he suggests the notion that propaganda is used to persuade or brainwash individuals; this is demonstrated by glittering generalities of using words that stir emotions, transfer, which is the use of propaganda through symbols and quotes, and finally fear which present a dreaded circumstance.

First, one must define propaganda and since many have done so already, I shall use the Sheryl Ross model. Her model defines propaganda as “an epistemically defective message designed with the intention to persuade a socially significant group of people on behalf of a political institution, organization, or cause.”

Propaganda is used to promote a certain cause to a mass audience through mass media. Propaganda can be used to spread information for good or bad reasons and has been known to do both. The use of propaganda for bad reasons has caused many people to view it as a deceitful word, one that stretches the truth and blows things out of proportion to gain support--even though that is not always the case. For example, propaganda likes to use testimonials, glittering generalities, card stacking, and other techniques to present information in the best and most biased light (Ogelsbee, n.d.). The article “Defining Propaganda”(n.d.) explains that propaganda can spread its message through a variety of mediums such as pictures, drawings, exhibits, speeches, parades, songs, and so forth. It can present itself in such a way that the audience won’t even realize what it is, which can help with its effectiveness. Basically, this means “propaganda can be concealed or open.” It can also weasel its way into your life and leave a lasting emotional effect by using “a combination of emotional and logical appeals” (Defining Propaganda, n.d.). Propaganda typically appeals to emotion because it helps get a message across in a short amount of time and is the most effective. All of this means that propaganda can come in many different forms and can be adapted to fit pretty much any