WWI: Propaganda

During World War I, the United States established a department of the government whose sole purpose was to convince Americans that they should support the war effort. Posters were made, songs were written and performed, films were produced, and advertisements were produced.

Propaganda is ideas, information or rumors spread to influence people to believe or act a certain way. 

Because the government was very clever in the ways they presented the war, many men enlisted in the army during WWI due to the encouraging visuals they saw on posters and in the newspaper and magazines.   

Propaganda posters in WWI used many techniques to influence men by appealing to their emotions of persuasion, fear, guilt, confrontation and accusation and were designed to be advertising and appealing.

These strategies included:

• Emphasizing  patriotism, making men feel like they should be proud to protect their country with their own strength;
• Creating an exaggeration of hatred and fear towards the Germans;
• Making those who were not enlisting feel cowardly;
• Emphasizing the sense of masculinity and bravery in the armies;
• And glorifying army life, making the men feel as though recruiting was a great adventure all should embark on.

Many posters presented a distorted image of war, making the soldiers in the pictures seem as though they were the proudest men of the country, and making the conditions seem superior.  

In actual fact, this was not true. Most men suffered painful deaths and those who survived had experienced horrific injuries.

The government also used propaganda to promote fear and hatred of the Germans. 

This poster depicts the Germans as a blood hungry
skeleton that brutally takes lives of men and drinks their blood.

                                            

I WANT YOU!  PROTECT OUR NATIONS HONOR ....
this is trying to promote ownership and make men feel
like they are responsible to fight. It would be dishonorable NOT to!!

We will all work together to win this war! 

While England and France were depicted as “civilization,”
Germany was shown as a “mad brute” — here, a giant, drooling
gorilla weilding the club of German kultur (culture) and carrying
the limp, half-naked body of a woman. As a result of propaganda
like this, German Americans — many of whose ancestors had
lived in America for centuries — faced persecution during the war.

                                                      

Americans were not eager to enter the war, and Americans of German 

ancestry tended to support Germany, not Britain and France. 

The government’s first task was to convince citizens that they 

must support the war effort without reservation. Here, a woman 

clad in the stars and stripes represents America and American liberty.

                                    

This famous portrayal of “Uncle Sam” first appeared during World War I.

Planting “Victory Gardens” on the home front was encouraged because
Americans needed to keep their troops (and their allies) fed by sending
 mass quantities of food to Europe. In order to avoid a shortage
at home they planted gardens at home. 

Assignment: 

View this (1:51) video

Look online and find one example of propaganda that employs one of  the strategies or techniques listed above. You can not choose one that I have already shown you on this page. Print it out (it doesn't have to be large or in color) and then write what type of strategy you think it employs. What emotion or feeling is the poster is trying to evoke?

Hint: Google: WWI Propaganda (images) 

Comment on the blog:
How did Creel make an unpopular war popular and what are some ways in which he accomplished this task?

WWI: America joins WWI

Why did America finally join WWI in the last 9 months of the War?  The Great War had been raging for over two years when we sent troops to Europe. Read the story as to what led us to join the war effort..... 

The Lusitania made her first ever voyage from England to New York in September 1907. Construction had begun in 1903 with the goal of building the fastest liner afloat. Her engines produced 68,000-horse power and pushed the giant through the water at an  average speed over 25 knots. Dubbed the "Greyhound of the Seas" she soon became famous for crossing the Atlantic ocean faster than any other passenger liner. 

The British Admiralty had secretly helped pay for her construction and she was built to Admiralty specifications with the understanding that at the outbreak of war the ship would be consigned to government service. As war clouds gathered in 1913, the Lusitania quietly entered dry dock in England and was fitted for war service. This included the installation of ammunition, magazines and gun mounts on her decks. The mounts, concealed under the teak deck, were ready for the addition of the guns when needed.

On May 1, 1915, the ship departed New York City bound for England. Unknown to her passengers but probably no secret to the Germans, almost all her hidden cargo consisted of munitions and contraband destined for the British war effort. As the fastest ship afloat, the luxurious liner felt secure in the belief she could easily outdistance any submarine. Nonetheless, the menace of submarine attack reduced her passenger list to only half her capacity.

Six days later, the ship neared the coast of Ireland. At 2:10 in the afternoon a torpedo fired by the German submarine U 20 slammed into her side. A mysterious second explosion ripped the liner apart. Chaos reigned. The ship listed so badly and quickly that lifeboats crashed into passengers crowded on deck, or dumped their loads into the water. Most passengers never had a chance. Within 18 minutes the giant ship slipped beneath the sea. 

When the Germans sunk the Lusitania in 1915,  the public opinion in the United States toward the war began to change. When the United States finally entered the war two years later, the cry "Remember the Lusitania" was used on recruitment posters and to unite the people against the Germans. 

Walter Schwieger was captain of the U-Boat that sank the Lusitania. He watched through his periscope as the torpedo exploded and noted the result in his log, 

Zimmerman Telegram 

In January of 1917, the British intercepted and decoded a secret telegram sent from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman to the German ambassador in Mexico. He proposed that Mexico ally with Germany against the United States. He promised them the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. 

Declaring War 

The Zimmerman Telegram was the final straw. President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech to Congress on April 2, 1917 asking for them to declare war on Germany. In his speech he said that the U.S. would go to war to "fight for the ultimate peace of the world." On April 6, 1917 the U.S. officially declared war on Germany.

Watch this video on German U Boats.

Complete your Lusitania & the Zimmerman Note Worksheet today.

Comment on the Blog:  

What fact did you find most interesting? No repeat facts please. 

WWI: Introduction

World War I was a major conflict fought between 1914 and 1918. Other names for World War I include the First World War, WWI, the War to End All Wars, and the Great War. 

Who fought in World War I? 

World War I was fought between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. The main members of the Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain. The United States also fought on the side of the Allies after 1917. The main members of the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. 

Where was most of the fighting? 

The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western front and the eastern front. The western front was a long line of trenches that ran from the coast of Belgium to Switzerland. A lot of the fighting along this front took place in France and Belgium. The eastern front was between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria on one side and Russia and Romania on the other. 

How did it start? 

Although there were a number of causes for the war, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the main catalyst for starting the war. After the assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia. Then Russia prepared to defend its ally Serbia. Next, Germany declared war on Russia to protect Austria. This caused France to declare war on Germany to protect its ally Russia. Germany invaded Belgium to get to France which caused Britain to declare war on Germany. This all happened in just a few days. 

Major Battles 

A lot of the war was fought using trench warfare along the western front. The armies hardly moved at all. They just bombed and shot at each other from across the trenches. Some of the major battles during the war included the First Battle of the Marne, Battle of the Somme, Battle of Tannenberg, Battle of Gallipoli, and the Battle of Verdun. 

How did it end? 

The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides. The war officially ended between Germany and the Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. 

Interesting Facts about World War I

More than 65 million men fought in the war.

Dogs were used in the trenches to carry messages. A well-trained messenger dog was considered a very fast and reliable way to carry messages.

It was the first major war where airplanes and tanks were used.

Ninety percent of the 7.8 million soldiers from Austria-Hungary who fought in the war were either injured or killed.

When the British first invented tanks they called them "landships."

The terrorist group responsible for assassinating Archduke Ferdinand was called the Black Hand.

Famed scientist Marie Curie helped to equip vans with x-ray machines that enabled French doctors to see bullets in wounded men. 

text taken from: http://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/ 

View this video on the causes of WW1

Watch: How WW1 started ... a bit ridiculous but illustrates alliances

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUY_sbI1bZc Watch this for preparation

Using the information on this blog page, complete the worksheet given to you in class today. 

Comment: So far, what fact have you found most interesting about WWI?