WWI Take Home Essay
Around the 1914’s films were just being introduced and being shown as a new favorite American pastime. Before the films actually played there would be trailer and advertisements. President Wilson thought this medium would be the best time to push the ideals and views of the government. Government-endorsed films and trailers were being played across the nation as well as in other countries. Soon after the C.P.I, Committee on Public Information, was formed to brandish the gun throughout cinema. Many of the films and advertisements were shown and spread across the world, which made America the moral leader in the world during this time. The constant films influenced the attitudes of the American government by giving the desire to fight, support the war and despise the enemy.
Going off and fighting a war in some far off distance country never really applied to many men especially during the recruitment for WWI. The films and trailers were geared to give young men the mind set of going into the military and fighting for America. Since WWI was so huge America needed more soldiers; if America even wanted to stand a chance of winning. Everything about the trailers made the war seem manly, claiming how mothers could only be proud of their sons if they went into the military. The war and joining the army was often very glorified making the men think through joining the army they would receive a sense of bravery and nobility. To many people America was seen has having a “simple self-image” but since the war America was thought to be under constant threat and need to be fixed, a job for the manliest of men. Through vigorous campaigning in the films, a young man would be seen as foolish to not join the war immediately.
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...h the many advertisements the war was the only option for America to stand up and continue to be the best nation at the time.
Propaganda heavily influences a civilization in every way. The attitudes of the civilians change and sway in whatever way the Government is hoping for to make big and powerful decisions. The advertisements made during, after and before the films helped change the minds of many Americans into choosing the war over just standing still and be beat up on by Germany and Hungary. Advertisements via cinema worked so well during WWI, the propaganda was used for almost every war and still continues to this day. During WWII was the most propaganda though the cinema as well as propaganda in general though posters, slogans and campaigns was used. The government-endorsed films and trailers continue to shape and mold Americans citizens to this day.
In 1939, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the United States government applied several forms of propaganda in order to receive support from the American citizens. Film, radio and government posters contained forms of propaganda that appealed to the emotions of American citizens. Quotes from President Franklin Roosevelt “Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger..” (Navarro) fueled the American citizen...
With the conflicts on the other sides of the oceans, Americans would not witness the brutality, destruction, and suffering of civilians and soldiers alike. ?Only the United States was not both a destroyer and a victim of the destruction in the war.? (73) The civilians of the United States, therefore, relied on other sources to shape their view of World War II. ?Ads implied that if you bought a war bond your sacrifice was on par with that of the man in the front lines.? (74) The US government and industry played on Americans? sense of patriotism in order to get them to support the war or buy their products. However, ?it [advertising] is by nature emotional, rather than intellectual; it sells feelings rather than ideas.? (73) Government propaganda and business advertising were not the only factors in forming the inaccurate myth of the Second World War.
The overall appeal of the cinema to the masses was particularly evident during the interwar era. Audiences worldwide wanted to watch the variety of films, particularly American produced films, and they always went back. The visibly attractive and glamorous Hollywood movies often depicted the success of the underdog over unjust authority. Values of cash over culture were often a theme in the early American films and societies with restricted social mobility, such as those in Europe, could dream of such a triumph. The working class and unemployed could fantasise about wealth, fame and freedom which America as a country was portrayed as offering.
were designed to rally Americans behind the war effort. The films were nothing else but
When World War II broke out in 1939, many countries began using propaganda to strengthen support for the war. Countries battling in the war used propaganda to unite citizens and keep them focused on contributing to the war effort. During the World War II period, Great Britain and their allies; which included the United States and China, were one of the groups in the war that used various techniques and platforms in order to spread propaganda across their countries. One such platform that played a major role in the spread of propaganda was Britain and their allies’ use of posters to increase morale among people.
The use of propaganda including posters, and poems made a big difference in the American history. The utilization of propaganda during World War One was one of the most common and well thought out methods produced to influence the Americans thoughts.
Words and images were silent weapons used by all governments involved during World War II. Wars are generally fought between soldiers, but the different ideologies often meet on the battlefield as well. The support of the people is crucial during these times since general knowledge of strength relies on numbers. Propaganda targets people’s emotions and feelings and changes people’s perception about a particular idea, people, or situation. Propaganda goes hand in hand with the art of persuasion and convincing; these tools can control and manipulate the collective minds of a massive amount of its audience.
During this decade, the film industry went through massive changes that would completely change what movies were or stood for. After the Great War, more people began considering movies as a form of entertainment. This increased attention caused change in the industry, allowing the experience of the movie goer to massively change for the better. Many new genres, ideas and technologies emerged in the 1920s that would later dominate the industry. The 1920s saw massive changes happening in the movie industry that would help it to get one step closer to what it is today.
Nationalism influenced people’s thoughts about war, twisting their minds to believe that their government and military was supreme and would win a war quickly. Because “most European countries, with the exception of France and Prussia, had not had any major wars within the 19th century, they stepped into the 20th century thinking that they were immune to defeat. This idea of immunity developed as countries forgot of their past wars and sufferings. The British were confident in their naval forces, the Germans in their arms and ships, and the Russians thought their land was protected by God. Citizens strongly believed that their country was the best and would do just about anything to help their country. It became a school boy’s duty to enlist in the army upon his graduation. As Erich Maria Remarque states in his book, All Quiet on the Western Front, the “young men of twenty... whom Kantorek calls the ‘Iron Youth,’” are the ones sent off to war in Germany. Their teachers drilled this message into their minds from a young age. The boys were told that it was their duty to their country to fight. Zara Steiner, British Historian, related that British teachers were told “to teach boys that success in w...
The Allied powers used video advertisements to educate and entertain people about the war and the purpose of fighting in the war. Based on certain statistics, “by 1943 nearly one third of Hollywood movies had a war theme” and these movies reached millions of people (Petley 30). More than “3000 films” were produced and the United States War Department “spent more than $50 million annually on film production during the war” (Petley 30). Video propaganda was used very often in persuading citizens to buy defense bonds/war bonds, ration food, work in factories to build ammunition, and more. Some examples are the short films “Blitz Wolf” and “Der Fuehrer’s Face.” “Blitz Wolf” was written by an anti-German producer who wrote a parody of “The Three Little Pigs” in which the bad wolf is Hitler and he went against the non-aggression pacts. Eventually the strongest pig (country) who was shown to be the United States defeated him with ammunition labeled defense bonds. This video encouraged viewers to buy defense bonds and help the US. “Der Fuehrer’s Face” was another anti- German film showing the harsh conditions of f...
motivated men to go to war, this was wrong and it was only till it was
During World War I, propaganda was widespread in most countries. Propaganda took on many forms and the primary function was to reinforce to the citizens of a nation that war was intrinsically heroic, and conversely to destroy the morale of the enemy.
The United States used propaganda to support the allied forces and World War II. When the United States first joined the war in 1941, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, most of the propaganda was aimed toward taking revenge on the Japan. As the war continued their propaganda transferred from getting revenge to righteousness. When the United States realized that this war was going to take more time and money than they expected, th...
The way the media sways us about how to think or how we should feel about a given situation. Often covering the truth and hiding the facts. One of the goals in propaganda is to set the mindset of the people to align with the goal of a current power, such as a government or a ruling party. Also, propaganda has the effect of overwhelming pride or being subjected to fear.
Before the Second World War began Hollywood’s purpose lied within entertainment for the American people. After the war started, the main focus shifted to wartime propaganda. Film was used to display the war in a way that did not show its true colors—including the censorship of soldier causalities and other negative connotations that are a simple fact of war. There was even a time in which some actors became better known to America than politians. Through films, Hollywood began to make a statement of their anti-Nazi beliefs. They began to make motion pictures for American recruitment into the Army as well as many that supported the war effort, and intended to make other Americans more aware of the war’s effect on the United States, and how people can get involved. Many European countries banned these Hollywood films, as they began to affect not only America but many other countries that were involved in the war as well.