Firstly, I'll explain what the propaganda is and how it affected World War 2. By definition, Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence an audience and further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is being presented. Propaganda can be found in news and journalism, government, advertising, entertainment, education, and activism and is often associated with material which is prepared by governments as part of war efforts, political campaigns, health campaigns, revolutionaries, big businesses, ultra-religious organizations, the media, and certain individuals such as soap boxers.
Propaganda played a prevalent role during WWII. It was used for many purposes which included recruiting for the army or helping out on the home front. Propaganda became very influential and shaped the way many Americans, Japanese, and Europeans viewed each other. During WWII, there were five main objectives along with various techniques that were used in propaganda in order to portray messages to the viewers/audience.
The objective that World War 2 used for the propaganda were the following:
Recruitment of Soldiers: Convince Americans to join the army.
Financing the War Effort: Convince Americans to give money to the government to help pay for the war.
Example: Buy War Bonds
Unifying the Country Around the War Effort: Convince Americans that entering the war is a good idea-to increase patriotism. (In the beginning, most did not want any more war; WWI had only been over for 23 years.)
Conservation of Resources: Convince Americans to not waste resources.
Example: Grow your own garden (called Victory Gardens) or use less gasoline for your car. Increasing Support on the Home Front: Convince Americans of the importance in helping the army at home. All Americans could participate and help win the war. Example: Women replaced men in factories to create weapons, ships, planes.
And finally the techniques of World War 2 propaganda were:
Demonization: Artists portrayed enemy individuals as demons or monsters. Example: The poster above of the Japanese soldier with evil eyes.
Emotional Appeal: Viewers emotions were used in an effort to have them agree with the message.
Example: Posters showing that thousands of Americans have died by the hands of the Germans and Japanese.
Patriotic Appeal: Artists appealed to the love of one's country. These posters usually had a country's flag or some form of representation for that country. Example: The use of an American Flag or American soldier.
Name Calling: Artists called other group of people by their derogatory names. Example: Germans were called Huns and the Japanese were called Japs.
Appeal to Fear: The use of fear sought to build support and unite a group of people by instilling fear in the general population. It scared Americans, for example, into believing that the war had to be fought, otherwise, America was going to be invaded by monstrous Germans and Japanese.
Catchy Slogan: Artists used short phrases or words in an effort to grab the viewer's attention. These slogans had to be very easy to remember with a very clear message. These always utilized prejudice or racism that existed against these people. Example: Remember Pearl Harbor!
Bandwagon: The message was clear: the audience was told "everyone else is doing it." It made Americans want to be a part of the crowd, to not feel left out, and to "do their part." Example: A poster saying that victory is inevitable, so you should join and support the cause to be on the winning side.
