War Bonds

In 1939, Canada fell into the battle of World War II. However, due to the recovery of the Depression, Canadians were unprepared for the war and hoped that the conflict would be deflected. Instead of it being averted, the situation became a full-scale battle, and because of the minimal preparation for the war, the government took drastic measures and commenced a propaganda campaign to gain support and reduce the Canada-wide spread of gloom and pessimism brought by the Depression and the war. The campaign was composed of mainly posters since “they were relatively inexpensive to produce; they could be created, printed and distributed in a relatively short period of time; and they enjoyed a broad, sustained exposure” (Bray 5). These war posters

“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.

War bonds were debt securities that served as loans borrowed from the public, by the federal government, in order to finance the needs of the government in support of the nation’s war effort. Sold in various cent denominations, citizens of the United States spent a total of $185.6 billion in war bonds. Both the War Advertising Council and the War Finance Committee worked together to generate the highest amount of money acquired via war bonds in U.S. history. War bonds were also instituted with the purpose of removing money from circulation with the intention of reducing inflation.

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.

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.

3.) A.) Figures 8.7 and 8.8 are both enlistment posters aimed at young men. What emotional responses do the artists seek to arouse in their intended audience? How are their methods alike, and how do they differ?

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

The Douglas Aircraft Company’s advertisement is reassuring to the American people, shedding an encouraging light not only on the efforts of the company’s help, but on America’s aid in the war. This ad is very much the opposite of the ‘Hate-America’ ads that the communists were known to release. Nowhere in the advertisement are there negative depictions or words used; this advertisement helps support the

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