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WWII Propaganda in the U.S. When it was suggested that World War II was approaching, Americans did not want to go to war. Having sustained losses in World War I and only now coming out of an economic crisis, most Americans thought that energies should be spent here at home, improving America, instead of becoming involved in war overseas. Even as the war started in Europe with the invasion of France, many Americans thought that the U.S. should avoid becoming involved. However, the government recognized that American participation was necessary, and quickly stepped up pro-war propaganda. This was not extremely successful until after Pearl Harbor, when the war no longer seemed comfortably distant but very close to home. At this point, it was necessary for the American propagandists to continue to convince the public that war was close at hand. It was also necessary to begin stepping up production and conservation of materials for the war effort, because the Allies only tremendous advantage was their great production power. As the war began in earnest, America increased the flood of propaganda, utilizing especially the radio and visual media, most specifically posters. http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/ww2/american/amerprop.htm
Propaganda goal: Get Americans involved in the war efforts! How to reach that goal: make them see that they are aiding the enemy if they don’t.
This poster urges viewers to conserve gasoline by joining a car-sharing club, also belonged to a common type of wartime poster. The American is shown to be unaware that he is aiding the enemy, which implies that those who drive alone are also uninformed.
Posters that played on workers’ guilt and their sense of duty blended traditional themes of workplace discipline with imagery of sacrifice and patriotism.
Propaganda goal: Get Americans involved in the war efforts! How to reach that goal: Make them fear what would happen if they didn’t.
This poster attempts to convince the viewer that the Nazi threat is closer than they think. Message: Buy war bonds to prevent the Nazi threat from reaching American children.
This poster implies that a man is dying because "someone talked." Posters implied that enemy spies were everywhere and that, in the words of a similar poster, "loose lips can sink ships.” Message: If you talk, you could cause someone to be killed because of spies.
Propaganda goal: Get Americans involved in the war efforts! How to reach that goal: make them feel that they are directly aiding their American soldiers.
“Keep Us Flying!” represents the government’s effort to encourage all Americans to buy war bonds and defense stamps.
Propaganda goal: Get Americans involved in the war efforts! How to reach that goal: patriotism.
The posters presented a vision of life in an ideal postwar world, and images of men and women conveyed certain assumptions about their roles in that world.
Making comfort items to send overseas was a very popular activity for women on the home front. The “Purl Harder” poster encourages women to “keep knitting socks, vests, sweaters, and mufflers for soldiers.”
Propaganda goal: Get Americans involved in the war efforts! How to reach that goal: patriotism.
Because American leaders realized that the best hope of winning the war was through increased production and labor, many posters were circulated urging increased labor and production as well as conservation of materials for the war effort.
All the day long,Whether rain or shineShe’s part of the assembly line.She’s making history,Working for victoryRosie the Riveter
This poster informs women that fighting for their country will not only help the country and the war effort but would also help gain more rights for women.
The government turned to its citizens and encouraged them to plant "Victory Gardens." They wanted individuals to provide their own fruits and vegetables.
Support for the Chinese people was urged in posters. Even prior to the United States' entry into the war, many Chinese figures appeared on the cover of Time. Japanese propaganda attributed this not to any disgust Americans felt for Japanese atrocities in China, but simply to more effective Chinese propaganda.
Propaganda goal: Get Americans involved in the war efforts! How to reach that goal: make them see the enemy in the worst possible light.
One Marine unit was briefed: "Every Japanese has been told that it is his duty to die for the emperor. It is your duty to see that he does so.”
As in Britain, American propaganda depicted the war as an issue of good versus evil, which allowed the government to encourage its population to fight a "just war."
During World War II, the Government alerted citizens to the presence of enemy spies and saboteurs lurking just below the surface of American society.
Warner Bros. Studios gets involved in the war. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnpdwn1mR6c