intro to ww1-propaganda

Propaganda

Material used to persuade people to believe certain ideas; evokes emotional response; can be in posters, newspapers, radio, movies, etc.

Purpose of WWI Propaganda

Used by Canadian government to: persuade enlistment, promote food rationing, encourage buying Victory Bonds, vilify the enemy

Propaganda Themes

Fear mongering, patriotism, Us vs Them, masculinity/femininity, enemy atrocities, peer pressure, prey on emotion

Fear Mongering

Warnings or threats to influence behavior

Patriotism

Appealing to the audience’s national identity

Us vs Them

Depicting the enemy as everything you are not

Masculinity/Femininity

Appealing to sense of manhood or womanhood; sometimes challenging it

Enemy as capable of atrocities

Showcasing the enemy as willing to harm innocents

Peer Pressure

Implying “everyone’s joining, so should you”

Prey on Emotion

Using guilt, fear, pride, or nationalistic feelings to influence

Propaganda Techniques

Colour, allusion, symbolism/imagery, slogans, stereotyping, ridicule, dehumanization

Colour

Choosing colours to appeal to the audience or express the message

Allusion

Referencing recognizable people, places, or events

Symbolism/Imagery

Object representing something else (person, idea, or concept)

Slogans

Memorable sentence or phrase repeated

Stereotyping

Exaggerating characteristics of a group; often false

Ridicule

Making a threatening figure appear silly

Dehumanization

Representing the enemy as inhuman to justify actions

Rules of Propaganda

Are biased, command attention, know the audience, manipulate the truth