War Bonds

In the 1940’s a series of propaganda films titled Why We Fight were produced for the purpose of defining the enemies of World War 2 to justify the necessity of America’s involvement in war. Hitler needed to be defeated, Nazism had to be destroyed, and tyranny had to be stopped for the sake of the American way of life by any means necessary. How could society argue against America’s role in the world war when freedom was being threatened? As Martin Luther King Jr. said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to everywhere.” No questions asked, Americans mobilized in the name of liberty and freedom. However the 2005 documentary film Why We Fight directed by Eugene Jarecki is not a sequel or war propaganda. The film informs the audience and questions America 's military industrial complex that has since dictated policy since the victory of World War 2. With the help of narration, soundbites, and credible speakers Jarecki shines light on the pernicious impact of the armed industry on our government, army, and citizens.

Aside from the general nationalism in the form of increased military and activism exhibited by the American people, the propaganda effort also increased the chance of war success through the sense of individualism and importance instilled in those who weren’t on the battlefield. Many resources were “important to conserve during the war effort,” and posters geared toward conservation composed one out of every seven propaganda posters made between 1941 and 1945

The success of these images would not have been possible if it were not for the artists. An example of one of theses artists is Rex Woods. Woods studied at the Ontario College of Art and regularly made covers for popular magazines such a Maclean’s and Canadian Home Journal. During World War II, Canadian Home Journal featured one of his works that depicted the mood the of the war. Woods’ work showcased an advertisement for the Victory Bonds and it includes many aspects of the typical World War II poster. The image shows a clear sense of urgency and shows the hardships that the Canadian soldiers are going through. One can also see the colour contrast between the figures and the background since the colours on the foreground are muted greens and blues, whereas the background is a rich, red Ontario flag. This contrast brings focus the background of the flag, which reinforces the idea of tapping into the values and beliefs of patriotism. There is also a sense of victory in this image because the soldier in focus has a light shone onto him, which symbolizes the “light at the end of the tunnel”/victory for the Canadian troops. The overall composition of the piece is quite powerful as well because the main soldier in focus is seen grabbing a gun from a woman machinist (judging by her uniform) before heading off into war. The bodies of both figures show power because the woman does her part as a Canadian citizen by helping the soldier and the man is in a stance where he is about the head into combat. Body plays an important role in this piece because it portrays the political message of asking Canadians to help soldiers in the war. The stances the figures have show courage and some fear, which helps show viewers the bravery and patriotism the soldiers have to protect their land, which persuades an

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941’” began President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the day following Japan’s fateful attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in the in the tragic loss of nearly two and a half thousand American lives. A date so famously proclaimed to ‘forever live in infamy,’ and so it has. This inspiring speech to Congress and the American people employed appeals and other techniques in it’s mission to touch America’s heart, both with sympathy and indignation. President Roosevelt’s use of rhetoric is extremely effective in rallying the American people to the cause of entering a war so many were reluctant to support.

This document is a fireside chat with Franklin Delano Roosevelt which he delivered on June 12, 1944. The fireside chats were informal radio talks FDR would do in order to communicate with the American citizens. At the time of this fireside chat, America engaged overseas in World War II. In this “chat,” FDR urges citizens to buy war bonds in order to support the military efforts abroad. In essence, this chat is really propaganda for buying war bonds; that being said, the appeal to ethos is particularly strong as it comes from the mouth of the leader of the free world.

“The first issue of the Liberty Bonds was a 30 year bond, bearing a 3.5% coupon callable, which means designating a bond that can be paid earlier than the maturity date, after 15 years”.” Overall, all of the bonds raised more than $20 billion dollars for the war effort. Although the bonds raised much money for the war effort, the bonds had many flaws. “The bonds were tax-exempt, which means that the bonds exact degree of exemption varied from issue to issue, and made it unattractive to investors in high tax brackets.”“About EH.net.” EHnet, www.eh.net/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017. The Federal Reserve bought many of the bonds creating new money, some of this new money increased the power of the reserves of the commercial banks which allowed them to buy bonds or finance their purchase by private citizens. Now heading on to what happened on the day of Pearl Harbor.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) is one of the most influential presidents in history of the United States. In FDR’s 1941 speech, “On the War with Japan,” he discusses the necessity of going to war in Europe and what it means for America’s future. His leadership skills in combination with his speech causes society to go from an isolationist policy to being motivated to enter and win the war. Through the use of rhetoric, FDR is able to captivate the listeners and encourage them to actively participate in the war. Not only does he play on the emotions of the audience, he also appeals to their sense of patriotism and logic in order to persuade them to get involved in World War II.

One poster depicts a man with his daughter on his lap asking him “daddy what'd you do to help the great war?” Our own government was trying to guilt people into going to war. I think this picture sort of touches upon the attitude towards joining the war at the time which was joining the war was a “manly” thing to do. The government also used propaganda to make the war seem like an adventure not a bloodbath.

During and after World War One, the United States government released a lot of propaganda to encourage its citizens to enlist in the army and change their domestic habit to support their soldier who fought on the front. In the Library of Congress, this poster is created by Alfred Everitt Orr in 1918. It aims at encouraging the citizens to buy the Victory Liberty Loan issued in 1919. The image shows the reunion of a soldier who return from Europe with his family. The soldier hugs his wife and holds his son with helmet hang on his neck. The son smiles with closing eyes and enjoys embracing his father. The wife admires the medal on the soldier’s chest. The bright color of the background indicates the warm and happy atmosphere of the scene and

how beautiful ideals were painted for our boys who were sent out to die. In War is a Racket, the

Since this man is not in a military uniform, but rather every day clothing with an apron, it suggests that he is not helping America by joining the service, but rather working hard in an industry to up productivity. Because of the tanks at the bottom right corner and the fact that the War Industries Board was in effect during this time, it can be inferred that the man is working to produce weapons for the military. The caption “Not Just Hats Off To The Flag BUT Sleeves Up For It!” showcases how working hard for America is just as important has respecting the flag. It appeals to patriotism; no one would want to disrespect the flag, so they also want to work hard for it if the poster says they go

No one anticipated the international chaos that would emerge during the twentieth century, especially the devastation caused by World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. World War II was the most destructive war in human history and changed the history of the world forever, engaging the world’s most influential superpowers in the largest international event of the era. World War II was fought not only by the armed forces, but also by the home fronts of every belligerent nation, exhausting the economy, the industry, and the morale of those living at home, escalating the conflict into a total war that was larger and fought more expansively than any other conflict in history. The use of American propaganda in the World War II war effort

To develop and build the patriotic attitude for Americans to support the American troops who entered the war, George Creel, a journalist and director of the Committee on Public Information, “...sent ‘Four-Minute Men,’ a squad of 75,000 volunteers, around the country to give brief pep talks that celebrated successes on the battlefields and in the factories.”(Roark, Pg.730). This campaign started by George Creel had gained extraordinary popularity among all of America and had captured the nation’s citizens into a anti-German state of mind. Every detail in America that did not represent pro-American was immediately changed, even the German toast was changed to French toast on American diner menus. The Committee on Public Information was responsible for promoting the patriotic attitude throughout America which supplemented the efforts of American soldiers in defeating the Germans in the Great War.(Roark,

More than a decade ago, the united States have been involved in several international conflicts. While the country was still struggling financially, the participation to these conflicts brought the country more difficult hardships. The engagement of the US in different War caused not only unnecessary financial hardship, but also considerable emotional issues. The meaning of this action relate directly to the use of all possible source including social and financial. The need to use financial resource towards the war overcame important issues that required the same resources within the country. Until now the casualties of such useless enterprise are the reason for the 0ngoing government issues.

The path to Allied victory in World War II wasn’t solely due to the soldiers fighting on the frontline, but also a result of the people fighting at the home front as well. When Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7 of 1941, the United States were forced to enter the war and panic gripped the country as a whole and made many fear of plausible attacks to the United States. However, instead of just cowering in fear, the majority of Americans converted this fear into their acceptance that the only way to win this war, was to fight back through their very own, home front. The home front was the war efforts back in the United States, in which many Americans made imperative sacrifices that turned the tide of victory in favor of the United States and Allies. This is evident in the fact that Americans resorted to the rationing of supplies at home, employing women in the defense plants, and buying war bonds to pay for and support the war effort. Thus, the home front was crucial in the United State’s