World War II propaganda posters - Essay Example

World War II Propaganda Posters Outline Introduction Thesis: World War II propaganda posters persuaded Americans to feel strongly about the war effort. American propaganda posters against the Japanese. Propaganda posters against the Japanese were in partial response to Japanese PSYOPS against the United States (Friedman 2003). Propaganda against the Japanese focused on the bombing of Pearl Harbor (Navarro 2000). Propaganda against the Japanese centered on the idea that the Japanese were subhuman or second-rate (Navarro 2000). Justification for Chinese internment camps were part of the propaganda poster campaign during WWII. American propaganda posters against Germany. Propaganda against Germany in the beginning revolved around invasion of the United States (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA] 2004). The idea that spies and enemies existed in the United States was a common theme in American WWII propaganda posters (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA] 2004). Hitler’s stupidity, ridiculous looks, and manic speeches also were featured on American propaganda posters of the time. War efforts at home were a major theme in American propaganda posters. War bonds propaganda encouraged Americans to invest in the United States’ bond program. Gas conservation, working in military supply sectors, and being hard working posters encouraged Americans to put more effort into their work to help the war effort (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA] 2004). Propaganda posters led the public to believe every able man needed to enlist or the war would be lost. Women played a significant role in American propaganda posters during WWII. The depiction of helpless American woman being raped by Japanese or German soldiers was a popular theme of WWII (Navarro 2000). Women were pushed for the first time to join the workforce to replace the men going overseas. Rosie the Riveter was created to persuade women to become employees manufacturing war ammunition and other war related products (Gluck 1987). Women were mobilized in WACS and other units to serve as nurses for the wounded soldiers (Gruhzit-Hoyt 1996). Conclusion The United States used propaganda to influence American feelings. Propaganda was used to promote ill will toward the enemies. Influence to work harder for the war effort was the main purpose for WWII propaganda in the United States.   World War II Propaganda Posters Propaganda was used during the Second World War as a means of swaying American opinion against the Germans and the Japanese as much as it was devoted to bolster American nationalistic sentiment. ‘Propaganda’ is essentially emotional persuasion, the use of messages conveyed through images and text to intentionally manipulate the beliefs and opinions of the audience. A number of studies have been conducted looking into the ‘evil’ and ‘shameful’ use of propaganda by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Regime in order to gain and maintain support for their ‘nationalistic’ actions, but other countries engaged in these same techniques during the war. Another country that produced a great deal of World War II propaganda posters was the United States of America in which everyday Americans were persuaded to feel strongly about the war effort. Propaganda posters created to encourage sentiment against the Japanese were made in partial response to Japanese PSYOPS against the United States (Friedman 2003). Propaganda against the Japanese focused on the bombing of Pearl Harbor and rested chiefly on the idea that the Japanese were a subhuman or second-rate race (Navarro 2000). In addition to focusing on their base status as humans and their violent inner natures, the Japanese poster propaganda campaign attempted to provide justification for the Chinese internment camps established in America during the war years. The anti-Japanese poster found in Figure 1 is explicit in its message that Americans should view the Japanese as inferior, brutal, and deserving of retention and suspicion at the same time it encourages them to become personally involved. The imagery includes the hopeless march of a long line of ragged American prisoners as backdrop, illustrating the newspaper clipping burned onto the poster surface bearing the headline “5200 Yank Prisoners Killed by Jap Torture in Phillipines: Cruel ‘March of Death’ Described.” The idea that these figures are American is conveyed through the style of the hats they’re wearing and in the few faces that are visible. In spite of their captive status, they are shown to be ‘better’ than the Japanese because they are depicted as taller than their captors even stooped in fatigue and pain as they march to their deaths. The foreground features a fatigued and starved-looking white man with his hands apparently tied behind his back still reacting to a blow he’d received from the butt of a rifle. The rifle is held by a sneering Japanese soldier in hard-hat and uniform, emphasizing the race’s brutality. The larger text of the poster at the top reads, “What are you going to do about it?”, insisting upon personal involvement while the text at the bottom encourages long-term support by insisting that the country “Stay on the job until every murdering jap is wiped out!” This garners support for the need to lock up every Asian in America in order to keep them from harming ‘true’ Americans. These messages are delivered in highly alarming oranges, reds and blacks that heighten the emotional response through its very warm palette. Like the Anti-Japanese Campaign, propaganda against Germany in the beginning revolved primarily around invasion and the violent nature of the invading forces (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA] 2004). The idea that spies and enemies existed in the United States was a common theme in American WWII propaganda posters (NARA 2004) while Hitler’s intelligence, appearance and manic speeches were ridiculed. The anti-German poster seen in Figure 2 features the image of a giant Nazi boot in the process of stepping on a white church with steeple, emphasizing both the violent nature of the Germans and the idea that they were already on American ground. The boot is identifiable as belonging to a Nazi soldier by the dangerous red swastika blazoned to the ankle. This boot is made immediately dangerous and cruel by the sharp barbs depicted on the spur and it seems impending by its giant size and its ability to already be stepping on the church. The imagery of the boot stepping on the American church is not just a threat to the religious ideals of the country but a threat to freedom itself as the church often doubled as the government meeting hall. This danger to the American way of life is reinforced with the slogan on the poster which announces “We’re fighting to prevent this”, suggesting that without full-hearted resistance, this type of scene is inevitable. Thus the poster functions as a call to action in much the same way as the anti-Japanese poster of Figure 1. The colors used are mostly grey, suggesting a world in which all variety and color has been leached out of existence. The poster is intended to convey a sense of immediate Nazi threat, oppression and hopelessness should one not obey the title and actively resist. Not all propaganda posters created during the war years were intended to foment anger at the enemy, though, as war efforts at home were another major theme in the American propaganda posters. For example, Americans were encouraged to literally invest in the United States through such means as the war bond program or to contribute their part by conserving gas, working in military supply sectors and being hard-working in everything they did (NARA 2004). In many cases, these posters conveyed the idea that every able-bodied man needed to enlist or the war would be lost. The pro-American poster found in Figure 3 is also guilty of using propaganda techniques in its presentation through its imagery, text and colors. The imagery makes blatant appeals to the national symbol of strength in the form of the bald eagle as it poises to strike. The impression of movement is reinforced by the slightly diagonal stripes seen behind the eagle. The top stripes are predominantly blue while the bottom stripes are red, introducing the red, white and blue of the American flag. The text of the poster announces “America Calling” prompting an almost automatic response to answer. This text is followed by the catchy slogan, “Take your place in Civilian Defense,” with its repeating /s/ sounds that initiate an urge toward movement and involvement. “The essential duties of the … organization were to promote protective measures, elevate national morale, and provide a means for local participation in the defense program” (SEMP 2005) while the man in charge, Mayor La Guardia of New York, ensured that the emphasis of the organization remained focused on strategies of protection. In conveying these various messages to the American population, women played a prominent role both as a means of the message and as the recipient of the message. The depiction of helpless American woman being raped by Japanese or German soldiers was a popular theme of WWII propaganda posters (Navarro 2000). At the same time, women were pushed for the first time ever to join the workforce to replace the men going overseas. Rosie the Riveter was created to persuade women to become employees manufacturing war ammunition and other war related products (Gluck 1987). Overseas, women were mobilized in WACS and other units to serve as nurses for the wounded soldiers (Gruhzit-Hoyt 1996). The poster in Figure 4 demonstrates several of the different ways in which women were encouraged to help with the war effort as they took over the jobs their men had performed at home. In this image, three women look proudly into the middle distance presumable as they await these same men to return home to them. Of the three women, one seems to be sitting behind a typewriter, illustrating those women who were keeping up the morale of the Army by writing them letters and filling in as secretaries. Behind her is a woman in a heavy red-checkered flannel shirt with a welder’s mask tipped back over her head in deliberate duplication of the Rosie the Riveter character, enabling the country to continue building war aircraft while the men were out fighting. Next to her is a third woman dressed in a blue jumpsuit with heavy gloves on her hands and a red handkerchief tied over her hair as an ammunitions worker. The background is filled with white and a small logo at the top of the poster indicates it was sponsored by the U.S. Navy, thus giving a quick reference to yet another possibility for woman to enlist as nurses or other auxiliary staff overseas. This concept is reinforced by the banner title across the bottom of the page that labels these women “Soldiers without Guns.” In every way it can, this poster attempts to encourage women to go to work for their country. As has been shown through these various posters, the United States used propaganda to influence American feelings. This propaganda was used to promote ill will toward the enemies, whether they were Japanese or German, and to influence the American public to work harder for the war effort, whether at home or abroad.  It’s easy enough to point fingers and claim propaganda, but much of the literature we see today could fall within the definition of this technique. Nothing more than an appeal to sway opinion through hard-hitting imagery and emotional appeals, America was equally as guilty of using propaganda on its citizens in seeking support for the war effort and in encouraging nationalistic bias. Figures Figure 1 - Anti-Japanese Poster Figure 2 - Anti-German Poster Figure 3 - Pro-American Poster Figure 4 - Propaganda for Women < http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blywwiip207.htm> References Friedman, Thomas. (2003). Longitudes and Attitudes: The World in the Age of Terrorism. New York: Anchor. Gluck, Sherna Berger. (1987). Rosie the Riveter Revisited: Women, the War, and Social Change. Boston: Twayne. Gruhzit-Hoyt, Olga. (1996). They Also Served: American Women in World War II. Carroll Publishing Corporation. Navarro, Anthony V. (2000). “A Critical Comparison Between Japanese and American Propaganda during World War II.” Lansing, MI: Michigan State University. Available January 23, 2010 from < https://www.msu.edu/~navarro6/srop.html> National Archives and Records Administration. (2004). Powers of Persuasion. Washington, D.C.: The National Archives. SEMP (Suburban Emergency Management Project). (August 2005). “What is Civil Defense? World War I through the Eisenhower Administration.” Biot Report #243. Available January 23, 2010 from Figures Anti-German poster. Available January 23, 2010 from Anti-Japanese poster. Available January 23, 2010 from Pro-American poster. Available January 23, 2010 from Propaganda for Women poster. Available January 23, 2010 from Read More