Download Propaganda in World War 1

Propaganda in World War 1
What is Propaganda?
 Propaganda is the
use of information,
especially of a
biased or misleading
nature, used to
promote or publicize
a particular political
cause.
Why Use Propaganda?
 The Canadian
government said
they needed to
“sanitize”
information prior to
printing to prohibit
the publication of
information that
could be used by
the enemy.
What Were the Real
Reasons?
 Propaganda was the
principle means by
which men were
encouraged to
volunteer.
Why Was it Effective?
 Propaganda
glamorized war.
Those who
volunteered were
made to appear
heroic and patriotic.
The nature of the
war was distorted.
Imagery in Propaganda
 Propaganda used
crude images and
stereotypes, urged
women to persuade
their men to enlist
and openly shamed
men into
volunteering.
Imagery in Propaganda
Newspapers and Propaganda
 The government
controlled what was
published in
newspapers. Many
stories were
designed to make
the enemy look bad
and had no basis in
fact.
Newspapers and Propaganda
 The government
prohibited the
publication of any
military information
including accurate
death counts and
equipment losses.
This gave the public
an unrealistic view
of the war.
Propaganda at Home
 Propaganda was
also used to
convince Canadian
civilians to buy war
bonds to help
finance the war. The
government made it
seem patriotic to
buy the bonds.
Language in Propaganda
 The language and
images used in
propaganda are
designed to make the
audience react – it uses
biased language and
symbolism to sway the
viewer. Example: a
Canadian soldier killing
an eagle (symbol of
Germany at the time).
Language in Propaganda
 The enemy was
described through
racial slurs,
exaggerations of
atrocities and
frightening images.
They were made to
seem almost
inhuman.
Language in Propaganda
 Canadians and their
allies were always
described as heroic,
strong, brave and
fighting for freedom
and righteousness.
On the Flip Side . . .
 German
propaganda
followed similar
practices. The text
on this poster reads,
“God punish
England.”
Women Were Targeted Too . .
.

The Effects of Propaganda
 As a result of the propaganda from
World War I, civilians had a distorted
view of the war. This was one of the
main reasons why many Canadians
never understood the soldiers’ war
experience. Men were expected to
return home and pick up where they left
off.
The Effects of Propaganda
 Even children were affected. Comic
books were created depicting Germans
as stupid and inept. Others portrayed
them as brutal and evil; these
stereotypes remained with many people
well into the middle of the century and
the beginning of World War II.
The Assignment
 On the sheet of white paper provided,
create a propaganda poster for World
War 1.
Consider: What country your poster is
from, who your target audience is, what
you want to convey and what reaction
you want from your audience.
The Assignment Continued
 The imagery and text you use in your
poster will be important. Consider them
carefully!
 You will be marked on:
Use of Imagery (10 points)
Use of Language (10 points)
Neatness/Effort (5 points)