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)