War Propaganda

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.

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

World War One posters were everywhere. Each one was used for a purpose, either for political reasons or to promote something, better known as propaganda. These posters could be biased or misleading, but not all were. “Pledge to Save the Food” and “Save the Wheat for our Soldiers” are two posters published by the United States Food Administration. Both made it clear, this was the right thing to do for our soldiers, to be patriotic.

The reason why this propaganda was so successful throughout the war was simple; there were more then one type of propaganda. Some of which were through wars

Propaganda, though not the most effective war time strategy, allows people to come together as one to contribute to the success of the country as a whole. However with this idea, there is also the idea that they are not whole truths being told by governments within countries. Propaganda is a form of a lie seen in both North Korea in the book Escape from Camp 14, and in one of the world’s darkest times, World War II; the world allows these lies to surface due to the fact that they do no outwardly hurt another race.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor from Japan on December 7, 1941. American President Franklin Roosevelt declared a former declaration of Allied war aims with British prime minister Winston Churchill. Japan intended the bombing of Pearl Harbour to cripple America from interfering with their plans of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Pearl Harbour was a military camp filled with ships and planes, the bombing destroyed many valuable equipment and many soldiers were killed and injured. The United States shared many goals with Britain and Russia to defeat Germany, while acting defensive against Japan. The propaganda made by the General Motors Company was used to encourage the public to produce more goods and funds to the war efforts. Propaganda posters

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.

During World War II, the use of propaganda was commonly used to get a point across or to encourage the citizens to do the “right thing.” An example of this is photograph 4 stating to “BUY WAR BONDS.” To win a war, it cost billions of money so this photo encourages the citizens to buy war bonds to contribute to the war. The photo also states “Keep him flying.” Those words state the reason why citizens would buy war bonds and if they bought some what the government would accomplish with

In a wartime environment, propaganda is used to shape international opinion as well as influence neutral and enemy countries. The government of a country puts a great deal of effort into propaganda that shapes the opinion of its citizens by justifying their actions and building support for the country. Propaganda was also used to point out the mistakes made by enemy countries. The impact of propaganda can be hard to determine at the surface, but when looking deeper, propaganda and its effect on people is very important in determining the outcome of a war. It has become a common belief that the Germans did not lose World War II because of their performance on the battlefield, but because of the impression that foreign propaganda had on them.[footnoteRef:0] [0: Ian Cooke. ?Propaganda as a weapon? Influencing international opinion,? bl.uk, January 29 2014, May 10

Nations attacked the dignity and eroded any humanistic view that other nations might have had. Occasionally time was of the essence, and they needed something quick to get the people’s attention and immediate support and so propaganda was the answer.

Within the context of the United States, wars, atrocities, and widespread violence has plagued our nation’s history. Although we go through periods of revolution and pride, a more critical and overarching perspective of American history reveals a common theme of war. Since the American Revolution of 1776, major wars like the Civil War and the Vietnam War have broadly changed the American landscape. In particular, the Vietnam War solidified widespread distrust in the American government because of the drastic disparities between political rhetoric and reality. The pervasive propaganda in the rhetoric of American politicians created an inaccurate portrayal of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, influencing the imaginations of the American public. In

Everyone has a right to express themselves in any way they want to. Saying and expressing your thoughts to people is an activity that everyone practices on a day to day basis, some might might think that because they have authority they have the right to teach or in force their views to the ones they are teaching and no one can tell them to stop because they have the right to talk. This is call freedom of expression and it is a fundamental right to every citizen of Canada, because it is a right it has to have a purpose and those who violate it have to pay the consequences. Just like the charges that R.V. Keegstra faced for exerting his right of freedom of expression.

Propaganda has been present for generations. Whether it’s in politics or if it’s just used for advertising, it has mostly been used to publicize a certain view, or ideology. It has also been used many different times in history, but perhaps most notably in times of war. During these times, countries involved will promote bias ideologies in order to seem superior from their opposition. This is perhaps more evident during WWII, when devices such as the radio and the telegraph made it easier to promote false ideas to the people. This was used to the benefit of both the allies and the axis powers, as they used multiple different propaganda techniques to influence public opinion toward their enemies and promote nationalism.

Propaganda, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is the “spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.” The use of propaganda became very popular and successful in countries, such as Great Britain, Germany, and the U.S.A. It also proved that America was the largest producer of pro-war propaganda in the world. Propaganda posters were used commonly to encourage people to join and to make a difference. The posters suggested many ways for the people of the countries to be involved in the war, like suggesting that people should buy liberty bonds or military bonds in order to help the country financially, calling for men to fight and to go the front, drawing women to factories so that they can help with the shells of the bombs and sometimes with the guns, and

Propaganda works to persuade the public to support government plans for war by showing and proving that war is the final option so they should support the government in their decision to go to war. Propaganda shows that there are no other options left and before considering war, they have tried many different options but nothing seems to work so they must go to war. At first, officials will use propaganda to say that they have come so far out that war is the final option they have to attain peace and during the war, they will persuade the public by saying that they cannot surrender or give up now, they are so close. Some common propaganda techniques shown in the film include signs and news reporters. Signs are a propaganda technique because