What Does Propaganda Teach Us?

What Does it Do?

•Informs and persuades individuals in all levels of society

• Teaches us how to think

• Teaches us how to act and what to do

• Reinforces a key message and pushes us toward an established goal

• Shapes and defines cultural norms and acceptable social behavior

How Does Propaganda Accomplish its Goals?

•APPEAL to Fear

• APPEAL to Logic

• APPEAL to Reward

• APPEAL to Emotion

• APPEAL to Popularity

The Five Persuasive Appeals

How Do We Analyze Propaganda On Our Own and With Our Students?

Fundamentally Basic and Systematic Approach:

The Three Levels of Questioning

•Descriptive Questions: What do we see?

•Symbolic Evaluative Questions: What does this mean?

•Interpretive Evaluative Questions: For whom is this Message/Meaning intended and why?

Propaganda is a vital primary source and it is never too early to examine primary sources with students!

George Creel and the Beginnings of Modern Propaganda

•Career as Investigative Journalist, Politician, and (Most Famously) Head of the U.S. Committee on Public Information During WWI

•Instrumental in Press Censorship and Establishment of Communication Vehicles for War Support

•Spearheaded the World’s “Greatest Adventure in Advertising”

George Creel: Woodrow Wilson’s Propaganda Man

What Is the Audience? Who Do we Need to Reach?

The Home Front The Battle Front

War does not occur in a military or political vacuum. Civilians play an equally important yet undervalued role.

Unknown British Poster Art

(1915)

Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal?

Unknown Russian Poster Art

(1916)

American Recruiting Poster (1917)

Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal?: The Germans

British Caricature (1916)

American Political Cartoon (1917)

Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal?: The Germans

????

What’s the big secret here?

American Political Cartoon (1917)

Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal?: The Germans

The Zimmerman Telegram

Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal?: The Germans

Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal?: The Germans

Who and where are these people?

What is happening here?

How Does the Other Side See Things?: The German View

German Propaganda Postcard(1916)

General Paul von Hindenburg (Germany)

Kaiser Wilhelm II (Germany)

Field Marshal Joseph Joffre (France)

General Sir John French (Great Britain)

General Alexeyevitch Brusiloff (Russia)

General Pavle Sturm (Serbia)

How Does the Other Side See Things?: The German View

German Propaganda Postcard(1915)

What do you think I am saying?

How Does the Other Side See Things?: The German View

German Propaganda Postcard(1915)

Translation: If You Love the Fatherland, You’ll Make it Peaceful and Quiet!

According to the German Propaganda Machine, What is the Driving Force Behind the Allied War

Effort?

According to the German Propaganda Machine, What is the Driving Force Behind the Allied War

Effort?

According to the German Propaganda Machine, What is the Driving Force Behind the Allied War

Effort?

Austrian Propaganda Postcard(1914)

Translation: Serbians Must be Serbians/Vanquished!

According to the German Propaganda Machine, What is the Driving Force Behind the Allied War

Effort?

Unknown German Poster Art(1915)

According to the German Propaganda Machine, What is the Driving Force Behind the Allied War

Effort?

Battle Cry of the Kaiser’s Men: Gott Strafe England!

German World War I Anti-British Decorative Propaganda Stamps

Unconventional Propaganda: World War I German Soldier Art

Translation: Germany Over all. God is With us. All are Caput

Battle Cry of the Kaiser’s Men: Gott Strafe England!

What Are We Going to do to Win This War?

Enlist! Invest! Produce! Conserve!

What Are We Going to do to Win This War?: Enlist!

Enlist! Enlist! Enlist! Enlist!

What Are We Going to do to Win This War?: Invest!

Invest! Invest! Invest! Invest!

What Are We Going to do to Win This War?: Produce!

Produce! Produce! Produce! Produce!

What Are We Going to do to Win This War?: Conserve

Conserve! Conserve! Conserve! Conserve!

Some Friendly Reminders For the Boys at the Front

British Military

Poster Art(1917)

French Military

Poster Art (1916)

French Military Postcard (1915)

Conserve!

Collect Seeds for Oil Extraction (1917)

Pray!

Christ Blessing the German Army (1915)

What is the Enemy Going to Do to Win This War?

Enlist!

German Army Recruiting Poster (1915)

Invest!

Offering for the Army and navy (1917)

Select Sources For WWI Propaganda Images

1) http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/index.htm

2) http://www.worldwar1.com/posters.htm

3) http://digital.lib.umn.edu/warposters/warpost.html

4) http://www.dhm.de/ENGLISH/sammlungen/plakate

5) http://www.graphicwitness.org/ineye/maps.htm