what is propaganda?

WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?

Fact vs. Interpretation

Propaganda is defined as efforts to spread specific biased

opinions or beliefs. Or…

FACT…

• something that exists or occurs, a piece of information that can be proven.

• EXAMPLES: – COFFEE IS THE SECOND MOST TRADED

COMMODITY IN THE WORLD.– 1+1=2

Interpretation

• To understand according to individual belief or judgement

• EXAMPLES:– GLOBAL WARMING IS A MYTH– WOMEN ARE INFERIOR TO MEN

Propaganda uses facts and interpretations to influence public opinion.

• Vietnam War era poster• Facts: Political poster by

the Committee to Help Un-sell the War, 1971

• Interpretation: Soldiers want out of the war.

How and why do governments use propaganda during war time?

Propaganda influences public opinion for or against a cause…in this case, war.

As World War I dragged on…

…it became a TOTAL WAR which involved a complete mobilization of resources and people. It affected the lives of all citizens. Governments often expanded police powers, arrested protestors and used censorship… …AND PROPAGANDA.

Eight days after declaring war, by the executive order of President Woodrow Wilson [WWI], the Committee on Public Information (CPI) was established and charged with the momentous task of motivating the American public to participate in the war effort while also handling the censorship of the media. Wilson chose former muckraking [stirs things up] journalist George Creel who quickly coordinated the creative talents of many Americans to create a massive advertising campaign for America.

George Creel built a massive network of America’s leading creative personalities to create advertisements in various forms to circulate nationwide. The CPI produced 700 poster designs, 122 bus and trolley cards, 310 advertising illustrations, and 287 cartoons during its existence. These advertisements promoted volunteerism, donations, and an overall sense of nationalism with resounding success.

Interpretations???• Wake up, America!• Americans were not eager to

enter the war, and Americans of German ancestry tended to support Germany, not Britain and France. The government’s first task was to convince citizens that they must support the war effort without reservation. Here, a woman clad in the stars and stripes represents America and American liberty.

• Poster by James Montgomery Flagg, 1917.

Interpretations???

• Beat back the Hun with Liberty Bonds

• In this poster, a German soldier with menacing eyes and bloody fingers looms across the Atlantic.

• F. Strothmann.

Interpretations???• Come on, boys! Do your

duty by enlisting now!• The United States Army was

quite small in the spring of 1917. A draft was quickly established, but men were urged to enlist for service. This poster, showing a cavalry charge, portrayed military service as heroic.

• Poster by: Vojtech Preissig, 1917.

PROPAGANDA TODAY