In the early 1900s, posters were already a popular form of advertising because they could be posted in homes, on the sides of buildings and in workplaces. They could also be replicated and translated easily, so when President Wilson decided to enter the Great War, created the Committee of Public Information, and passed several laws to muzzle people from speaking out against the war, the poster style advertising was employed to promote support for the war. The Division of Pictorial Publicity was created specifically for designing and producing the posters so that the right message went out to the people.
Most Americans before the mass production of propoganda and the laws banning speech against the war were not in favor of fighting. They knew about the bloodshed that had happened already in Europe and were not eager to join it, especially because they had not been attacked outright. Also, a large amount of Americans were new German immigrants and had their loyalties with the "enemy", so Wilson knew he had to spread the message of why the war was just quickly so that there would be enough support to fight it.
Some of the best illustrators of the time were asked to participate in the creation of the pro war posters including Charles Dana Gibson and James Montgomery Flagg. The illustrators utilized advertising strategies to "sell" the war to the public. They created shocking images such as fictional attacks on US soil by the Germans, and they also created stern images such as those of Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty who's demands were difficult for people to ignore. The most popular images were the ones that portrayed the Germans as apes because they gave Americans the motivation to fight against the "brutes".
Posters depicting battle,
suffering and demonization of the enemy were able to spread exaggerated messages of the events of the war since they were the only resource. The posters were able to instill fear of the enemy in people were able to inspire the public to enlist in the army or do anything that they could to support the war effort.
Sources:
"The Posters That Sold World War I to the American Public." Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
"World War I Propaganda Posters." Destroy This Mad Brute -. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
Great post, and I especially love the pictures you added, as it made the post much more interesting. I never knew about the Division of Pictorial Publicity, and the entire concept around it is quite unique, as it is an art guild dedicated to propaganda. Propaganda was geared to garner negative support of Germans, and I believe nativism and WASP attitudes helped fuel the movement. Do you believe other external factors led to the prominence of propaganda as well?
ReplyDeleteFor more information on propaganda in the US:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/u-s-government-has-long-used-propaganda-against-the-american-people/5502255
Really interesting post about how propaganda was so instrumental in the war effort. I appreciate how you included propaganda directed towards ordinary civilians, not just the propaganda for recruitment. You touched on what the effects of propaganda on the people were; what kinds of efforts were take upon those at home to help the war effort? We talked about liberty/victory gardens and liberty loans in class, but it would be interesting to explore the other methods used. For more information on at home efforts, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_home_front_during_World_War_I
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