Propaganda Images of World War II:

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Propaganda Images of World War II A Window to
Military, Political, and Social History
By Kenneth A. GavinAmerican Institute for
History Education Prepared for Toms Rivers (NJ)
GrantThursday, January 29, 2009
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New Jersey State Social Studies Skills

• State Mandated Skills to be Modeled and Addressed
  Include
• 6.1.8.A.2 Use Critical Thinking Skills to
  Interpret Events, Recognize Bias, Point of View,
  and Context
• 6.1.8.A.4 Analyze Data in Order to see Persons
  and Events in Context
• 6.1.8.A.8 Compare and Contrast Competing
  Interpretations of Current and Historical Events
• 6.1.12.A.2 Formulate Questions and Hypotheses
  From Multiple Perspectives Using Multiple Sources
• 6.1.12.A.4 Examine Source Data Within the
  Historical Social, Political, Geographic, or
  Economic Context in Which it Was Created Testing
  Credibility and Evaluating Bias
• 6.12.A.8 Evaluate Historical and Contemporary
  Communications to Identify Factual Accuracy,
  Soundness of Evidence, and Absence of Bias and
  Discuss Strategies Used by the Government,
  Political Candidates, and the Media to
  Communicate With the Public

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New Jersey State Social Studies Standards

• State Standards to be Addressed Include
• 6.4.12.5 Compare and Contrast Key Events and
  People Involved With the Causes, Course, and
  Consequences of World War II
• 6.4.12.6 Describe the Mobilization of Women and
  African-Americans into the Military and Related
  Industries

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By Definition
Main Entry propaganda Pronunciation
\?prä-p?-'gan-d?, ?pro-\ Function noun
Etymology New Latin, from Congregatio de
propaganda fide Congregation for propagating the
faith, organization established by Pope Gregory
XV died 1623 Date 1718 1capitalized  a
congregation of the Roman curia having
jurisdiction over missionary territories and
related institutions 2 the spreading of ideas,
information, or rumor for the purpose of helping
or injuring an institution, a cause, or a
person3 ideas, facts, or allegations spread
deliberately to further one's cause or to damage
an opposing cause also  a public action having
such an effect
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What Does Propaganda Teach Us? What Does it Do?

• Informs and persuades individuals in all levels
  of society
• Teaches us how to Think
• Teaches us What to do and how to act
• Reinforces a key Message and Pushes us towards an
  Established common Goal
• Shapes and Defines Cultural Norms and Acceptable
  Social Behavior

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How Does Propaganda Accomplish its Goals?
The Five Persuasive Appeals

• Appeal to Fear
• Appeal to Logic
• Appeal to Reward
• Appeal to Emotion
• Appeal to Popularity

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How Do We Analyze Propaganda On Our Own and With
Our Students?
Fundamentally Basic and Systematic Approach The
Three Levels of Questioning

• Descriptive Questions What do we see?

• Symbolic Evaluative Questions What does this
  mean?

• Interpretive Evaluative Questions For whom is
  this intended and why?

Propaganda is a vital primary source and it is
never too early to examine primary sources with
students!
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Early Propaganda The American Revolution
The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King
StreetPaul Revere (1770)
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Early Propaganda The American Civil War
Civil War Envelope ArtWilliam Ridenbaugh (1861)
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George Creel and the Beginnings of Modern
Propaganda

• Career as Investigative Journalist, Politician,
  and (Most Famously) Head of the U.S. Committee on
  Public Information During WWI

• Instrumental in Press Censorship and
  Establishment of Communication Vehicles for War
  Support

• Spearheaded the Worlds Greatest Adventure in
  Advertising

George Creel Woodrow Wilsons Propaganda Man
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What Is the Audience? Who Do we Need to Reach?
The Home Front
The Battle Front
War does not occur in a military or political
vacuum. Civilians play an equally important yet
undervalued role.
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Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal? The Japanese
Unknown Poster Art (1942)
Unknown Poster Art (1942)
War Bond Office (1942)
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How to Tell The Japs From the Chinese Life,
December 1941
The Chinese Face
The Japanese Face
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Who is Our Enemy? What is His Goal? The Nazis
American Poster Art (1942) by Ben Shahn
American Poster Art (1944) by C.R. Miller
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Our Enemy Combined The Axis!
American Poster Art (1942) by A. Hilts
General Motors Poster Art (1942)
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How Does the Other Side See Things?
German Poster Art (1943) The Secret of Japans
Strength By Von Albrecht Furst Von Urach
Dutch Collaboration Poster Art (1943) The
Yankee The Englishman, and the Bolshevik dance
to the tune of the Jews
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According to the German Propaganda Machine, What
is the Driving Force Behind the Allied War Effort?
German Magazine Cover Happy Pages (1940)
German Magazine Cover Flying Pages (1944)
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Cartoons from Das Schwarze Korps
Title "The Business in Death." Caption "Have we
lost many dollars, Delano?" His reply "Don't
worry, Eleanor, we are paying only in human
lives."
Title "From the Land of the Lynchers" Caption
"It is a good thing for us Negroes that no
Americans live here!"
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What Are We Going to do to Win This War?
Enlist!
Invest!
Produce!
Conserve!
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What Are We Going to do to Win This War? Enlist!
Enlist!
Enlist!
Enlist!
Enlist!
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What Are We Going to do to Win This War? Invest!
Invest!
Invest!
Invest!
Invest!
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What Are We Going to do to Win This War? Produce!
Produce!
Produce!
Produce!
Produce!
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What Are We Going to do to Win This War? Conserve
Conserve!
Conserve!
Conserve!
Conserve!
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What Else Are We Going to Do to Win This War?
Stay Aware! VFW (1942)
Stay Vigilant! Bureau of Forestry (1942)
Stay Quiet! Victor Kempler (1944)
Stay Quiet! War Office (1943)
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Some Friendly Reminders For the Boys at the Front
U.S. Army Information Office (1941)
U.S. Army Information Office (1944)
U.S. Army Information Office (1942)
U.S. Army Information Office (1944)
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What is the Enemy Going to Do to Win This War?
Conserve! Get Rid of Old Clothes and Shoes (1943)
Produce! Build Weapons for the Front (1943)
Invest! Support the Assistance for Mothers and
Children (1939)
Enlist! Waffen SS Recruiting Poster (1941)
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What Else is the Enemy Going to Do to Win This
War?
Protect the Future! Child Relocation Movement
Poster (1943)
Stay Quiet! Shame on You, Chatterer! Silence is
Your Duty. (1942)
Stay Vigilant! Recruiting Poster for Air Raid
Wardens (1944)
Stay Vigilant! Protect the harvest. It ensures
victory. (1939)
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Private SNAFU Short Animation for The Army

• Short animated films for army use only produced
  1943-1945

• Brain child of Frank Capra, Chairman of First
  Army Air Force Motion Picture Unit

• Contract Awarded to Leon Schlesinger of Warner
  Brothers

Private SNAFU Screenshot Spies (1943)
Title Screen Private Situation Normal All !_at_
Up
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• Select Sources For WWII Propaganda Images
• http//bss.sfsu.edu/internment/posters.html
• http//orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/dspolitic/Frame.h
  tm
• http//www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuas
  ion/powers_of_persuasion_intro.html
• http//www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/sk.htm
• http//mysite.verizon.net/vzetqw5o/antiaxispropaga
  nda/id3.html