...How Propaganda Swayed the Public Opinion During World War I Rachel Corona Abstract World War 1 proved America to be the nation producing the highest amount of propaganda. Through his use of propaganda President Wilson was able to draw American Support for the war. Despite his being elected as the “peace” president. Many Americans believed he’d keep them out of the war, especially after he stated that, “so far as I can remember, this is a government of the people, and this people is not going to choose war.” Before his election, Wilson promoted American neutrality. He pushed for what he believed his Americans wanted. However, through his employment of propaganda, Woodrow Wilson was able to convince the American people to join the ranks, he persuaded Americans into accepting rations for food, he involved women in the war effort, he was even able to sway them into buying government bonds (liberty bonds) to fund the war. In the end, through his use of propaganda, President Woodrow Wilson was ironically able to change the popular American opinion and convince Americans to support World War 1. Propaganda, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is the “spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.” It is always biased towards a view or idea. Governments employ propaganda to sway public opinions towards supporting a cause. The use of propaganda became very popular in America during World...
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...Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda, in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political agenda. Propaganda can be used as a form of political warfare. While the term propaganda has acquired a strongly negative connotation by association with its most manipulative and nationalistic examples, propaganda in its original sense is neutral. It may also be construed to refer to uses which are generally held to be somewhat benign or inoffensive, such as public health recommendations, signs encouraging citizens to participate in a census or election, or messages encouraging persons to report crimes to the police, among others. Propaganda was not invented by the Americans. It began with the Roman Catholic Committee for the Propagation of the Faith, an order of the church which was established by a papal bull in 1622. (Baran & Davis, 2013). Throughout the beginning of the twentieth century, the meaning of propaganda was debated as to whether or not it was a good or bad form of communication that could be corrupted...
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...World War II was one of the most important historical periods of the Twentieth-Century. The causes, and consequences of the war helped historian understand the politics of the time as well as to observe the reactions from the different governments and citizens from all over the world. Though some historians recount the events from World War II from a general perspective and focus on the different military strategies and government policies, others discuss the individuals involved in the war and their influence on the causes and outcome of the war. Further on, historians tend to focus on the major leaders during the world: Churchill, Hitler, Roosevelt and De Gaulle. Nevertheless, some historians have paid close attention to those around these great leaders and discussed their influence over them and their respective government policies. Before the beginning of World War II, Adolf Hitler guided the Nazi party into power in Germany during the 1930’s. Hitler did not led Germany into war on its own, but with the help of a few close associates one of them being Joseph Goebbels. As one of the main directors of the Nazi Propaganda in Germany and other parts of Europe, Joseph Goebbels led Germany’s internal affairs during the war especially during the completion of most of Hitler’s objectives during his leadership. It is difficult to imagine Germany’s actions during the war without looking a Goebbels. He definitely changed the outcome of World War II by implementing public enlightenment...
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...The Use of Propaganda and the Media by Political Groups Propaganda is a tool that is used all over the world to influence how people think. Propaganda has fittingly been referred to as “the weapon of mass persuasion” by the Canadian Broadcasting Channel. Propaganda can be defined as communications with the goal of influencing the opinion or attitude of a population in favor of the ideology of oneself or one’s group. The messages behind propaganda are almost always political. Governments and militaries around the globe have used propaganda again and again to control their followers. Famous examples of aggressive propaganda campaigns are those of the United State Military, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Emperor Hirohito of Japan and Joseph Stalin. In the past, printed media was the main form of spreading war propaganda. As society and technology evolved over the decades, so did propaganda. The messages hidden in modern media are far more difficult to identify than ever before. The use of propaganda has always had specific motives, but are the reasons behind war propaganda harmful towards society? What are specific ways that propaganda has affected the populations of the world? There are many negative examples of ways that the global population has been influenced by propaganda during war times throughout history. Propaganda produced by the government is almost always under-handed and one sided. There seems to be a formula for the perfect war campaign using propaganda that has...
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...American Propaganda and the Suppression of Dissent in World War I “May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion. “ – Dwight D. Eisenhower On June 28, 1914, the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated. That event marked the first phase of World War I (Grayzel 10). Soon afterward nations throughout Europe announced declarations of war. By the end of October countries as far away as Japan, China and Brazil had become involved (Grayzel 11). Susan R. Grayzel in the “Introduction: The First World War and the Making of a Modern, Global Conflict” from The First World War: A Brief History with Documents”, explores a variety of contributing reasons for the Great War (Grayzel 9). The causes most often cited included the rise of nationalism, increased militarism, imperialism, and a willingness among the population to allow their governments to persecute a war (Grayzel 9-10). Ironically, it was a complicated series of competitive alliances and international peace agreements that caused such a rapid global escalation of hostilities (Grayzel 5). With its vast immigrant population, and their own ties to European and Asian interests, America was not immune to finding itself dragged into the war. Hence, during the first years of the war, President Woodrow Wilson struggled to maintain neutrality. So much so that he issued a declaration of neutrality to Congress on August 14, 1914. In his speech he entreated Americans to remember, “Every...
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...Propaganda is used to all aspects of life to rally people behind a cause. In the context of politics, militarism and war it is often associated with authoritarian governments, but it is used in democracies as well. Although the practices of propaganda contradict democratic ideals, many propaganda techniques are more easily utilized in a liberal society that encourages freedom of speech. When propaganda is used in a liberal society, it is especially effective because in a liberal society people assume they are thinking and acting freely, without recognizing the subtle manipulation of propaganda. Although it may seem unethical, the American government and its military officials often use deceitful tactics of propaganda to hide the truth about...
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...American Propaganda Propaganda has proven to be a valuable tool when trying to persuade others during a war. It has proven to bring out the best qualities in a nation, and it has also shown the ability to voice the true feelings of the people. For example, propaganda has been used to increase patriotism in times of conflict in America, and it has also been used to dissuade others from wanting bloodshed. “Uncle Sam” is a large and well-known piece of propaganda in America, and it has been used with countless different mediums to display the true outlook of the citizens. James Montgomery Flagg was responsible for illustrating the classic "I Want YOU for U.S. Army" poster, and an anonymous publisher created the “I Want OUT” poster. Both works used patriotic influences, the need of the country, and a sense of responsibility to persuade the American people; however, their goals were very different. The “I Want YOU for U.S. Army” poster was incredibly effective in bringing out a strong sense of patriotism within the American people. Covered with red, white, and blue colored clothing, including a top hat with stars on it, Uncle Sam directly represented America. Uncle Sam was actually modeled after Flagg himself, but he was made to look older and with a long white goatee. This was done “to save the modeling fee” ("The Most Famous Poster"). Uncle Sam was an older-looking fellow with white hair, portraying wisdom. He also wore a suit and tie, displaying class and integrity. These characteristics...
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...“I have decided, or rather I decided several months before it started, or may be several years say, not to write propaganda in this war at all. I am willing to go to it and will send my kids to it and will give what money I have to it but I want to write just what I believe all the way through it and after it. It was the writers in the last war who wrote propaganda that finished themselves off that way. There is plenty of stuff that you believe absolutely that you can write which is useful enough without having to write propaganda….If we are fighting for what we believe in we might as well always keep on believing in what we have believed, and for me this is to write nothing that I do not think is the absolute truth.” -To Maxwell Perkins, Finca Vigia, Cuba, May 30, 1942 It would be nice to designate the Second World War with a factual title, such as The Good War, or The Best War Ever, but in retrospect neither of these titles would be an honest opinion to the military or the civilian victims of the war. Historians and journalists alike, being that one cannot be the other and therefore should never be confused but for the instance of the following should be entitled to the same mistakes, insinuate that the portrayal of the Second World War was an accurate one without the tremendous censorship and propaganda that transpired out of the First World War. Undoubtedly, to believe such an apparent statement of propaganda would be to dismiss the actions and the transformation of...
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... The Use of Film During WWII At the beginning of World War I, America was neutral to what was happening across the pond. Americans went about with their everyday life. One of the new trends that came about at the time, were cinemas. Cinemas were used to entertain the masses, but that soon changed when President Woodrow Wilson saw how it affected the people. Wilson saw the cinemas as an opportunity to influence Americans to enter war against the Axis powers in Europe. Hollywood agreed with Wilson, and supported his ideas about reaching the audience with films. This was the beginning of film being used as propaganda in the World Wars. During WWII, the role of propaganda film changed a bit. World War 2 caused a spike in propaganda films, films now needed to be monitored by many government agencies, and one of the greatest propaganda films was created. Up until the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many American citizens were closed off from the war. Many of the citizens who remembered WWI believed it was a bad idea for American to join because America was still vulnerable and was just fixing itself after The Great Depression. They believed that Europe and Asia should worry about their own problems without the involvement of the United States (Grzan). However, the government knew that America was going to have to join the war sooner or later. We had alliances that needed to be protected. At the relation of what needed to be done, a rise in war films came about. One film that...
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...been infected. Influenza killed around fifty million people worldwide and infected twenty-eight percent of the total American population . It is estimated that 675,000 Americans died of influenza during the pandemic. The impact on the U.S. was of high magnitude, especially within the army in World War I. Due to the economic status of the U.S. at that time, soldiers during that war lived within the trenches and went through very harsh conditions of life. For instance, the total number of the U.S. soldiers who went to Europe to fight the enemy, half of them fell to the influenza virus and not to the enemy. A report by Crosby showed that an estimated 43,000 servicemen mobilized for World War I died of influenza. While others have depicted the country as a “tired nation” in a spiritual sense, Pettit and Bailie argue that post-war apathy was more likely caused by the...
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...explaining the roles played by the press in connecting and/or disconnecting the governments of Europe to/from the publics of Europe in World War Earlier generation before 1914 did not have access to information like the people did with the developments of the press. The "media revolution" of the 19th century conveyed an important increase in newspapers and journals as well as large scale access to information. Concerned individuals could update themselves about anything that was happening on both locally and globally. The media touched even very isolated parts, anywhere, because of the growth in literacy, most publics were now able to read newspapers. The great European nations and smaller countries has been influenced by the advance of media. World War I was a hindrance to this growth. Although distribution numbers remained to increase, the sum of newspapers in shops reduced. This was owing to the restoration of firm censorship in the nations fighting in the first great war....
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...traditional deportment which are characteristics of a given society, or of a group of societies, or of a certain race, or of a certain area, or of a certain period of time. (Margaret Mead, 1951: p.17) Definition of the Cold War The Cold War is the denomination given to the relationship that developed primarily between the USA and the USSR after World War Two. The Cold War was a period of economic, political and military tension between the Coalesced States and Soviet Amalgamation from 1945 to 1991. Following the terminus of the Second World...
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...German Nazism By Christina Dixon HIS306: Twentieth-Century Europe (BPI1434A) Instructor: Max Fassnacht May 4, 2015 Fascism and Nazism came during a time when there was an economic crisis that was sweeping through Europe. Fascism and Nazism was two familiar totalitarian regimes that was able to arise from Germany and Italy. In Germany, the National socialist party was conducted by Adolf Hitler, while Benito Mussolini conducted the fascist party in Italy. Italy and Germany’s future was based on the education in the schools, since education played an important role between these two nations. The people’s image of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler as two leaders was profoundly the important factors to their popularity. The most essential tool that was allowed in both countries and played a very important role in both political parties was propaganda, which gave both parties the ability to influence the perspectives of the people to their partiality. Italy and Germany are two natural allies, but however they are both different from each other and can be connected in many salutations. “Largo ai Giovani”, Italian for "make way for the young" (Clayton, 2009) was just one of the mottos that was used by Benito Mussolini’s regime. Mussolini’s saying highlights one of the most important aspects during the Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany’s education system. The education system in both countries was not just used for learning but also was the key element to creating...
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...2015 WOMEN IN AMERICA 2 ! In the history of the world, women have ruled the world, shaped the world, and changed the world and in the United States, women have had a storied and grand history that has evolved the role of women from typical housewife to leaders of women's rights movements and has shown their true worth and true potential to their male counterparts. In this paper, I will be talking about six key events and time periods that have changed not just women's history but the overall history a nation. Three of these events and time periods will be before 1930 and three of them will be after 1930 to give the reader an overall sense of the evolution of the role women have played. The events that I will be talking about are the roles that women played in World War One beginning in 1914, the second historic event is the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, the third time period I will be talking about before 1930 is that of the roaring 1920s. After 1930, the changes were still happening for women and World War II was a major point in the evolution of what it means to be a woman, this time period was quickly followed by the baby boom. The final time period I will discuss is the Feminist Movement in the 1960s and how those efforts have led to a lasting impression of who women are in today's modern era. WOMEN IN AMERICA Annotated Bibliography: Rochman, H. (2001). Those extraordinary women of world war I. The Booklist, 98(6), 564-564. Retrieved from http://search...
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...by the RSF but propaganda as one of the strategy has been partially covered. The study focuses on Rhodesia Front government’s propaganda as a counter insurgency strategy to the guerrilla activities. Propaganda is the control of public opinion. There are three types of propaganda that is white, grey and black propaganda. White propaganda is the dissemination of the truth to someone’s advantage, grey propaganda is the mixture of lies and truth and black propaganda consists of largely but not total lies. All these types were exploited upon implementation of propaganda at different levels through different tactics. Psychological operations which were executed as forms of propaganda involved planned use of communication through words, symbols and actions to influence the behaviour of the targeted audiences and achieve set objectives. The government’s use of propaganda warfare was prompted by a number of reasons which ranged from economic, political, social and military factors. It is worth noting here that, the tempo and conduct of the war varied from one locality to the other depending on the terrain and proximity to strategical areas like borders, transport networks and close to government’s administrative offices. The study is presented in three chapters. The first chapter outlines the reasons for the introduction of propaganda warfare in Chilonga in 1970. It majors on the motives behind implementation of propaganda warfare before the intensification of the war in the area. Various...
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