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Domestic Propaganda During World War II
Question B. What were the norms of the World War II era regarding gossip, work, sacrifice, and gender roles? What did the posters suggest would happen if people did not follow the norms?
World War II was a very different domestic societal experience for the American population than other more recent wars. It required contributions from everyone in the form of material goods and especially products made from rubber and metals like aluminum which was in desperate demand for reprocessing into war materials used in the production of military vehicles and equipment.
Wartime posters emphasized the fact that the nation needed raw materials for military use and the importance of everyone doing his or her respective part, even as civilians. Gender roles were changing, by necessity, because the vast numbers of males conscripted into the war effort overseas increased the need to include women in traditionally male roles in mass production plants. This was reflected in the posters and published advertisements of the time and typically portrayed characters like "Rosie the Riveter" complete with welder's mask and coveralls. Espionage was also a serious domestic concern, which was emphasized in posters admonishing gossip and irresponsible conversation. These posters carried themes like "Loose lips sink ships" and the enemy is always listening."
Question D. What racial, ethnic and gender stereotypes can be found in these posters? What attitudes toward the Germans and Japanese did the posters promote?
Domestic wartime posters typically portrayed the enemy in the worst stereotypical images, such as caricatures of Japanese that emphasized their different physical features, including very exaggerated negative traits. Posters of Japanese referred to "Japs" and Nips" and pictured protruding rat-like front teeth and ridiculously thick eyeglasses.
Likewise, posters portraying Germans included references to "Krauts" and depicted the enemy as obese, beer-guzzling characters dressed in "leiderhosen" and holding traditional German beer mugs in one hand and strings of German sausages in the other. Alternatively, posters of the German enemy featured caricatures of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party members.
Propaganda is an important tool for shaping public opinion during wartime. The United States initially resisted using propaganda, but later established two official government propaganda agencies: the Writers War Board and the United States Office of War Information (Riddle, 2016). The latter became the primary propaganda engine during World War Two. The Office of War Information used multiple media for propaganda dissemination, including the relatively new media like comic books
Even before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government began targeting Japanese-American businessmen and placing them under arrest. Following Pearl Harbor, the efforts expanded beyond businessmen and targeted the whole of the Japanese community. Executive Order 9066 "set into motion the exclusion from certain areas, and the evacuation and mass incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry living on the West Coast, most of whom were U.S.
Source: German Propaganda Archive, Calvin University This poster translates: "Unshakable, determined to fight, certain of victory! "(German Propaganda Archive). Typical themes in German Propaganda posters were anti-Semitism, a call to the labor force, support and loyalty for Hitler, paper and clothing drives, as well as special programs, such as programs to send children to the countryside for safety. Many of the themes overlapped with American messages. However, as one examines the collection
World War II called out the American troops, the country's economy could have been in grave danger had it not been for the untapped reservoir of human resources. Wives, mothers and sisters picked up where their husbands, sons and brothers left off. Not only were these women brave in their efforts to take on something as foreign as factory work, they also directly affected the outcome of the war.
Discrimination in U.S. There are people still alive today who remember Jim Crow laws. Half a century ago, segregation of drinking fountains, public restrooms, public buses, and public schools was still legal. Fifty years ago blacks in many states could not make a living except to work in jobs that resembled slavery in their wages and work conditions. The Civil Rights movement ostensibly changed everything. Yet decades of political correctness and
Europe After World War II Historical Development Unification Historical Development of Unification Ideas in Europe after World War II Europe was torn to shreds by the ugly forms of national and ethnic hatred after World War II (1939-1945). Europe is geographically situated in middle of such a global power system, where failing of peace means global annihilation. After World War II, the Europeans established such a framework that can allow peace and regional