Believe This: The Power in Propaganda

Kim Anderson
American History Teacher’s Collaborative

Summer Institute Reflection Paper

In 2005, President Bush addressed an audience at Greece Athena Middle and High School and said, “See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.” How chillingly close to the words of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, who said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Clearly world leaders have been aware of the power of propaganda for years. So today, with the constant bombardment of advertisement and information, it becomes exceedingly important for students to be aware of this phenomenon so they can make sound, educated decisions. Analyzing examples of propaganda in World War II will help students draw parallels with today’s current events and help them understand how the media influences public perception.

Primary Document Analysis

Poster #1

This image contains the slogan “What did you tell today to help the enemy?” The poster shows two bombs falling from the sky towards an exploding pile of rubble and an ear with Hitler’s image in the center. This image implies that loose gossip may accidentally help the enemy because you may be talking to a spy. Adding the images of bombs and explosions gives the poster a much more violent feel. The implication is that helping the enemy will ultimately result in the death of American troops. I’m left wondering how prevalent foreign spies were in America. Is there proof that spies were just everywhere, or was this a scare tactic to keep people quiet, “Just in case…?”
Poster #2

“Partners Three!” shows the images of an American soldier, Uncle Sam, and Rosie the Riveter, walking happily together arm-in-arm. The poster implies that men, women, and the government are all in the war together. I imagine this sense of inclusion helped boost morale and make the country feel united. How may of these posters were made picturing different ethnic groups? Any? Did the government consider the importance of including images from a variety of groups in order to increase the feeling of inclusion?

Poster #3

“Careful Workers are Happy Workers” shows six different female faces. All of the images are smiling (presumably happy because they’re being so careful). There are five white women and one black woman and each is dressed in different uniform or style of dress. The poster implies that women are unhappy working because they are careless. What other reasons might women have for being unhappy? Are there reports that show women are more prone to accidents on the job than men? Why aren’t other ethnic groups shown in this poster as well?
Rent Control Pamphlet

“UNCLE SAM keeps your rent down YOU MUST keep your home up!” Two women are shown in aprons with a broom over their shoulder. The bloom over the shoulder is very reminiscent of the soldier with a gun in Poster #2. Thus, women are doing their duty, like men, by keeping their house clean. This is especially important since the government is helping keep the rent so low. Is this statement true? Did rent get controlled for everyone? Was rent subsidized? What about people who own homes? Were mortgages kept down as well? Did women really need to be told to clean their house? Was the government certain that with all the men gone women would just run wild about the streets?

WW II Ad

The billboard is sponsored by the Home Insulation Co. and reads, “We can’t hail victory until Japan is licked.” The background image is of a steam train whistle being blown—apparently to signal victory. The statement implies that people may have started to become war weary. It also shows that advertising for the war was useful regardless of what was being sold. What does home insulation have to do with victory over Japan? Presumably nothing, but the owner must have felt strongly about continuing to support out troops in the east. Why did the owner decide on this slogan or image? Was this a common trend in advertising? How often does this happen today?

Information presented at the Summer Institute helped me realize how much propaganda in own government was creating during the war. I found it fascinating to compare American and German propaganda—the similarities are startling. I appreciated having a chance to listen to Carole Inskeep and Chuck Koplinski talk about propaganda and share such a wide variety of images. Nothing can take the place of actually seeing a poster or viewing a film. I thought it was very exciting to have access to old U.S. propaganda film footage thanks to websites like YouTube. And last, I found myself getting more and more distressed by the number of parallels people, including myself, were finding between the propaganda in our country during World War II and the propaganda being generated by our government today.

Finally, I would like to use these images for displays in the library so that students can come through and observe the different posters. If these posters are on display during the time when students are studying World War II in class it will give them a better historical context. Also, I will be sure to include booktalks and displays to reinforce the time period throughout the library. In addition, I would also like to be able to include examples of propaganda from other war/conflicts and have students compare and contrast them.