HIS 132 Essay 2

Submitted By emileeeason
Words: 681
Pages: 3

Emilee Eason
Professor Hollis
History 132
March 29 2015
Propaganda during World War I Propaganda is
In July 1914, propaganda was used for the first time to build support towards the war.
The First World War began suddenly, it was caused by many different conflicts. The origins of conflict include competing imperial ambitions that had led to economic rivalries, the military alliances, and diplomatic maneuvering had divided Europe into two blocs. Although the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife is considered the original factor that led to the Great War.
In order to promote support for the war, the government used propaganda strategies and enacted legislations to control social attitudes and behavior of the people. The Committee on Public Information, also known as the CPI, was created by President Wilson to manipulate the public’s opinion on national unity, the loathsome character of the enemy and the war a grand crusade for liberty and democracy. To ensure that the people knew only what the government wanted them to know about the war, the CPS used persuasive tactics to change the view towards the war, they achieved this by surrounding them with vulgar, manipulative and damaging media. All media were controlled by the government, newspapers, press releases, advertisements, cartoons, and editorials. They were all designed to help win “the fight for the minds of men” and to change the people’s opinion of the Germans. Propaganda impacted the attitudes and the actions of civilians with posters of the helpless victims of war, the children, women, and the majority of these prints contained false information. Propaganda was used to lure people to join the armed forces with lies and manipulation. There is no doubt in my mind that the propaganda used in World War I affected the culture of publishing, the governments influenced people to read more newspapers, books, and to look at paintings and believe that they weren’t being misled. (Collins, Esmond.)
Soldiers were affected in various ways by propaganda, the majority of the propaganda was directed towards the soldier’s caused them to doubt their reasoning behind fighting. There were pamphlets convincing soldiers that their significant other was cheating on them back home, asking soldiers what they were fighting for, and some even contained conspiracy reasons as to why they were fighting. After World War I propaganda had a growing negative connotation, the congress ended up closing down the committee due to the unpopularity, they cut funds to organize and archive its papers. Propaganda also affected the American worldwide as well as the American society in general by dissolving the illusions of war no longer being an option. It also effected the mindsets of American and European societies as well as