WWII Propaganda Posters: Soldiers without Guns

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the prime motivating factors for wartime propaganda - national pride and fear, and reveals how those two motivators are used in a few examples of wartime propaganda posters. The paper also examines how those same posters use traditional propaganda devices to spread a pro-war message, at a time when many Americans were reluctant to enter into another European war. Finally, the paper discusses the propaganda poster as an art form and looks into the lasting popularity of these propaganda pieces. Five photographs of the posters are included with the paper.

Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The propaganda posters commissioned by various branches of the U.S. government during World War II, were very effective at achieving their intended goals of stirring up pro-American feelings and mobilizing citizens to support the War movement. The posters were successful as propaganda because, taken as a whole, they used fear, national pride, and personal pride to motivate people. In addition, the posters used traditional propaganda devices to make mass appeals to a wide-variety of Americans. Given that domestic support for World War II was probably greater than support for any war before of since that time, those propaganda posters have to be declared an overwhelming success."

Sample of Sources Used:

• The Children of the Camps Project. "Internment History." PBS.org. 1999. PBS. 9 Feb. 2008 <http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/history/index.html>.
• Davis, Ronald. "Racial Etiquette: Racial Customs and Rules of Racial Behavior in Jim Crow America." JimCrowHistory.org. Unknown. Jim Crow History. 9 Feb. 2008 <http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/history.htm>.
• Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. "Mobilizing for War: Poster Art of World War II." Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. 2005. Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. 9 Feb. 2008 <http://www.trumanlibrary.org/museum/posters/index.html>.
• Miller, Clyde R. and Louis Minsky. "Propoganda - Good and Bad - for Democracy." Survey Graphic. 28.11 (1939): 706-. New Deal Network. 9 Feb. 2008 <http://newdeal.feri.org/survey/39b16.htm>.
• Shah, Anup. "War, Propaganda, and the Media." GlobalIssues.org. 2005. Global Issues. 9 Feb.2008 <http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Media/Military.asp#ElementsofPropaganda>

More papers on WWII Propaganda Posters: Soldiers without Guns:

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