Propaganda in WWI Understanding Propaganda

Define Propaganda Information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

Wake up, America! Americans were not eager to enter the war, and Americans of German ancestry tended to support Germany, not Britain and France. The government’s first task was to convince citizens that they must support the war effort without reservation. Here, a woman clad in the stars and stripes represents America and American liberty

Destroy this mad brute While England and France were depicted as “civilization,” Germany was shown as a “mad brute” — here, a giant, drooling gorilla wielding the club of German kultur (culture) and carrying the limp, half-naked body of a woman. As a result of propaganda like this, German Americans — many of whose ancestors had lived in America for centuries — faced persecution during the war.

Beat back the Hun with Liberty Bonds In this poster, a German soldier with menacing eyes and bloody fingers looms across the Atlantic.

Come on, boys! Do your duty by enlisting now! The United States Army was quite small in the spring of A draft was quickly established, but men were urged to enlist for service. This poster, showing a cavalry charge, portrayed military service as heroic.

Uncle Sam This famous portrayal of “Uncle Sam” first appeared during World War I.

I want you for the Navy If the thrill of heroism didn’t convince young men to join the army, pretty girls might.

Learn to make and test the big guns The army offered men a chance to learn skills that might serve them in a future job or “trade.” This recruitment strategy — still seen today in television commercials — was used for the first time in World War I.

On which side of the window are you? Men who stayed safe at home would be left out of the glory. Here, a man stays safe inside, left in the shadows, while victorious soldiers parade outside his window.

Keep the home garden going Because so much food was needed for soldiers and starving civilians in Europe, Americans were encouraged to keep gardens. (In World War II, these gardens would be called “victory gardens.”) This poster shows three men with crops in poses like those in Archibald Willard’s famous painting Spirit of ‘76, and calls on the “Spirit of ‘18.” Spirit of ‘76

Little Americans, do your bit. Leave nothing on your plate Even the smallest children were enlisted in the war effort. Wheat was needed for soldiers, and so children (and their mothers) were encouraged to eat other grains such as oatmeal, corn, and rice — and were reminded, like children everywhere, to clean their plates.