The Uses of Propaganda Posters in World War 1

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The uses of propaganda posters in World War 1 Propaganda, as defined by the Collings English dictionary is ‘The organised dissemination of information, allegations, ect, to assist or damage the cause of a government, movement, ect. In 1914 when the First World War broke out, Britain had no propaganda agencies. David Lloyd George was in charge of setting up a War propaganda bureau. This was then established at Wellington house under Charles Masterman (head of the propaganda bureau). Each of the nations that took part in World War 1 used propaganda posters. British propaganda has been described as “an impressive exercise in improvisation” (Sanders & Taylor, 1). Propaganda posters were used to, justify their involvement to their own populace, recruit people, raise money, procure resources and promote accepted standards of behaviour. Methods of propaganda include pamphlets, magazines, posters, paintings, speeches, photographs, postcards, books, music, rumours, newspapers and film. Propaganda posters contained patriotic images, such as the country’s flag (this created a sense of nationalism). Newspapers were controlled by the Government to sway public opinion towards supporting the war. The one thing these methods did not state was the truth. Propaganda is always biased towards a view or idea. It is used to manipulate information to influence public opinion, through emotional appeals and demise of the enemy, to create hatred between countries. It promoted patriotism and nationalism within a country. Britain did not have a policy of national service; this was standard in countries such as France and Germany. The whole point of propaganda was to get more and more people to sign up for the war, this was important because of all the casualties and the hardship suffered on the home front. The government did this by displaying posters stating ‘your country

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