World War Ii Propaganda

World War II Propaganda The mobilization effort for World War II was massive, and required the support and co-operation of every citizen in the country. To that end, a massive propaganda machine was unleashed, with the goal of both drumming up and continuing support for the war. Posters, cartoons, and radio messages delivered messages about everything from war bonds to the threat of foreign spies. Today we will be looking at the propaganda machines both in the United States and abroad to see how the competing countries “sold” the war.

Poster 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Message

Images

Racial Elements

Cartoon Propaganda

Unlike during World War I, when motion pictures and other broadcast medium were in their infancy, by World War II mass media has evolved to become truly “mass”. Leaders in all countries could now reach a very wide audience with their message. You will be watching four propaganda cartoons. Two are American, one is German, and one is Russian. For each one, please analyze it for the following things: • Message: what is the cartoon about? What is it trying to say? Pay particular attention to the propaganda aspects of each. • Images: what types of images do you see? What types of people? How are they portrayed, both visually and in terms of their personality? • Racial stereotypes: Does the cartoon use racial stereotypes? If so, what?

Cartoon

Images

“Der Fuehrer's Face”, 1943 [Oscar Winner for Best Animated Short] [American]

“Tokyo Woes”, 1945

Third Reich Cartoon, unknown date

“What Hitler Wants”, unknown date

Why are cartoons an effective medium for propaganda?

Stereotypes

Message

“I Want You...to Design a Propaganda Poster” As we have seen, all of the countries in World War II used propaganda to sell the war to their citizens. And although cartoons, movies, and radio ads were used, posters and billboards were still the most common form of propaganda. Your job, as a member of the National Information Bureau at the U.S. Department of Defense, is to create a propaganda poster for the wars today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Your poster should include the following things: • Large, colorful images. Most of your poster should be pictures, as that's what draws people's attention. • A clear message. I should be able to figure out your position on the war, and what you are trying to say, in one glance. If I have to squint at your poster to figure it out, then it's not going to work. • Persuasive techniques. There are a variety of ways to do this. You can use fear, to try and scare people into believing in your cause. You can be inspirational, to show that if we work together triumph will be ours. Whatever fits the message of your poster. • Relevance. The poster should be relevant to the cause. If people can't connect your poster to the wars, then it won't stick in their mind. Please note that the Department of Defense is very cognizant of racial discrimination these days; overt displays of racism will not be tolerated in the modern era, so your poster should not use such techniques. However, the Department of Defense has no qualms about mocking certain individuals (Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, etc). The poster will be worth 10 points, and is due _______________________.