Propaganda - What did the US do in WWII and how does it impact us today? by Lilah Mairose28

WWII Propaganda: The Influence of Racism

lpmairose28_ — 2023-11-03 16:17:19 UTC

The US started making posters full of propaganda after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Most of them were targeted at the Japanese and conveyed them as animalistic, inhumane, and murderers, which made people who saw the posters want to support the war effort against them. This sparked racial prejudices that are still rooted in people today and caused borders and rules that were never needed.

Disney WWII Propaganda (videos)

lpmairose28_ — 2023-11-03 16:17:31 UTC

There were over 500 images and videos about the war that Disney made in WWII. Two of the videos made in 1943 starred Donald Duck and spread the message about the war and Russia. The first one showed Donald Duck giving up his income tax to help build “guns, guns, guns, all kinds of guns!” and the second greatly mocked Hitler in one of Donald Duck's dreams - when he wakes up, he is shown hugging a statue of the Statue of Liberty and being "grateful to be an American."

Propaganda in WWI (Propaganda in Wars)

skurdikar28_1 — 2023-11-05 19:27:57 UTC

1914, the start of WWI, marked one of the first uses of propaganda majorly supporting war efforts. When the US joined the Allies in 1917, the government produced a lot of propaganda. The goal was to turn Americans against Germany as a country, but it resulted in a lot of German-American citizens being targeted.

Propaganda in WWII (Propaganda in Wars)

skurdikar28_1 — 2023-11-05 19:28:36 UTC

WWII produced even more pro-war propaganda, becoming the most large-scale use of it in all countries involved. This war was definitely a turning point in history for the use of propaganda to support wars, and although WWI may be considered the main starting point of it, WWII was likely the most impactful use of pro-war propaganda in history.

Propaganda in Vietnam War (Propaganda in Wars)

skurdikar28_1 — 2023-11-05 19:43:54 UTC

The Vietnam War (1954-1975) caused both the US and North Vietnam to use propaganda in order to turn their citizens against the other side. However, unlike in Vietnam, Americans used propaganda against each other as well. The US was split between pro-war and anti-war groups, and both utilized propaganda to get their point across.

Propaganda in the Middle East (Propaganda in Wars)

skurdikar28_1 — 2023-11-05 19:50:38 UTC

The US has used propaganda outside of wars as well, especially against terrorists in the Middle East. As this was relatively recent, the internet (being more developed) enabled lots of other ways to spread propaganda, making it even more powerful. This is a new era of propaganda, powered by the internet, which will likely continue to get more impactful as the internet grows every day.

ISIS Propaganda

lpmairose28_ — 2023-11-06 20:12:37 UTC

In Iraq, terrorist groups used propaganda to gain new members/supporters and raise funds. ISIS, for example, used propaganda to show the world how strong they are. Their propaganda also included pictures of people being happy and content under their control. In 2022, which was not long ago, ISIS used emojis to avoid content filters on social media. They used harmless emojis like smiling faces as a code to represent bombs and missiles.

American Pro-War Propaganda

lpmairose28_ — 2023-11-06 20:14:09 UTC

One pro-war example of propaganda showed a South Vietnam soldier holding a little bundle, with the caption explaining that this soldier's son had been killed by the Viet Cong (The US's communist enemy during the war).

American Anti-War Propaganda

lpmairose28_ — 2023-11-06 20:14:21 UTC

An anti-war example of propaganda shows a swastika (sort of the Nazi logo) made up of the letters of President Richard Nixon's last name, created after Nixon got the US more involved in the Vietnam War. This war demonstrated how propaganda can be used not just against other countries, but even within one.

US WWII Propaganda

lpmairose28_ — 2023-11-06 20:16:57 UTC

While Nazi propaganda was mostly used to praise Hitler and turn people against Jews, US propaganda was mostly for getting people to support the war effort. That included joining the army or just saving gas (one propaganda poster used to convince people to do this by carpooling said "when you ride alone, you ride with Hitler"). Rosie the Riveter is perhaps one of the most famous pieces of propaganda, used to empower women during WWII.