Propaganda Posters WW1

Keywords: propaganda in war, propaganda wwi

The propaganda posters of World War 1 had several different purposes. One of these purposes was to obtain man power for the battles of the war. Another reason was to obtain money for financing the war. A third reason for the posters was to spark nationalism within the respective countries of which the posters were made. Getting laborers in the shell factories was also a cause for the propaganda posters. A final reason was to justify the reason for why the countries were involved in the war so that the people don’t rebel against the war.

The people who were probable targets for the posters were men, women, and even children. For example, posters that showed how women were being murdered by the enemy sparked a sense of honor in the hearts of the men and it influenced them to fight for their country to protect it and their women. Some posters targeted children’s parents by saying “My dad bought me a bond, did yours?” or something equivalent. By targeting these specific groups, the posters made everyone involved in total war.

The posters suggested many ways for the people of the countries to be involved in the war. Posters suggested that people buy liberty bonds or military bonds in order to help the country financially. They also called for the men to fight and to go the front. Moreover, people, primarily women, were drawn to the factories so that they can help with the shells of the bombs and sometimes with the guns. People were also urged to provide things such as food and clothing for the soldiers on the fronts. By suggesting these types of things, posters made everyone fight as the posters were suppose to do.

I think that the role of the propaganda in World War 1 was to get people directly involved into the war and to get money to finance the war. The propaganda made people feel nationalist about their countries and they wanted to fight and help in the war.

Liberty bonds or war bonds were money that were given to the government to finance the war, and at the end of the war, the people would get the money back with interest. These bonds were important because the governments needed money to be able to pay the soldiers and to wage the war on the front. By getting money from the people, the country had enough money to finance its economy and also it was a good investment for the people who “invested” in the war.

A wide range of images is used in the World War 1 posters. One example was Lady Liberty leading the American troops into battle. Another image was the Australian flag which said for the king and the country. This image made Australians feel nationalistic about their country. A third image that was shown was the German “gorilla” which made people fear the destruction of Germany and therefore they wanted to fight against Germany. A German propaganda poster portrays how Jesus is blessing the German army. Other German posters also show a soldier to make the men want to fight. Finally, an Austrian poster shows how a child is putting in money for the war. This was another way to make men and women buy bonds for the war.

Several good symbols were used during the World War 1. A gorilla portraying Germany was used to show how ugly and evil Germany was. Another British symbol showed Germany as a skeleton that is drinking the blood of the fallen soldiers. These images made people want to fight Germany and to end its terror over Europe. Australia used a fallen soldier pointing at the viewer of the poster to make men want to avenge the death or wounding of the soldiers who give their lives on the front. Germany made its people join the war by showing how the army was blessed by Jesus which symbolized that it was destined for greatness. They also used the symbol of a soldier on a horse, with a oval around his head which in Orthodox Christianity in particular that portrays him as a saint. In general, the Germans were so confident that they would win, that they showed how glorious their army supposedly was. All of the symbols were used to make the people of the countries fight their enemies.

Allies Posters

Similarities

Central Powers posters

Their messages were short and simple.

Said true statements.

Portrayed German brutality.

Both wanted resources.

Both guaranteed wins.

Both urged men to enlist in the fighting.

Long messages that said a lot and not very effective.

-Contained lies because the army was not as blessed as the newly enlisted soldiers thought.

Showed army to be mighty and blessed by God.

My favorite poster is the one from Australia which showed how Freedom is in a tug of war with the Oppression. I liked this poster because it was an original way to show how the war was going and in a way it made it seem less dramatic than it really is. I also think that Australians had the most interesting posters in general because their posters were more elaborate and more interesting than the rest of the countries in the war.