Propaganda & WWI -...
Transcript of Propaganda & WWI -...
Propaganda & WWI Mr. Timothy Flynn, M.Ed.
Oak Ridge High School
Junior Achievement Academy
What is Propaganda? • Propaganda is a specific
type of message or presentation aimed at serving an agenda.
• At its root, the denotation of propaganda is 'to propagate (actively spread) a philosophy or point of view'.
• The most common use of the term (historically) is in political contexts
Why did the U.S. use Propaganda?
• Each nation involved in WWI from 1914-18 used propaganda posters.
• The U.S. used posters for the following four reasons:
1. To enlist people into the military.
2. To convince people to ration food so that soldiers at the front lines could be fed.
3. To convince citizens to grow ‘victory gardens’ and send the food from the gardens to soldiers.
4. To illustrate the opposition as monstrous and heinous.
Why Posters? • TVs had not been
invented yet (duh)
• Not everyone owned or
had access to a radio. o Consider radios the 1914
equivalent to that 72” Plasma TV
your neighbor has
• Posters were the most
effective means of
spreading a message
Government Support
• During the Great War,
governments needed
money for the war effort.
• Thus, they focused their
efforts on posters aimed
at raising money and
resources from citizens
• Propagandists use six
tricks to get their
message across…
Six Tricks of Propaganda 1. Name Calling: hanging a
bad label on an idea, symbolized by a hand turning thumbs down
2. Card Stacking: make the best case possible for his side and the worst for the opposing viewpoint by carefully using only those facts that support his or her side of the argument while attempting to lead the audience into accepting the facts as a conclusion.
3. Band wagon: persuade the audience to follow the crowd. This device creates the impression of widespread support. It reinforces the human desire to be on the winning side.
4. Testimonial: associate a respected person or someone with experience to endorse a product or cause by giving it their stamp of approval hoping that the intended audience will follow their example.
5. Plain folk: convince the audience that the spokesperson is from humble origins, someone they can trust and who has their interests at heart.
6. Transfer: carry over the authority and approval of something we respect and revere to something the propagandist would have us accept. Propagandists often employ symbols (e.g., waving the flag) to stir our emotions and win our approval.
Propaganda Activity • In your groups, examine
the propaganda posters on the following website.
• Identify which ‘trick’ is used in the poster.
• What was the goal of that particular poster? o Your answer should be one of the
four reasons the U.S. used propaganda.
• Submit your responses as a QuickOffice file via Showbie
When You Are Done… Submit your document on
Showbie.
Scan the above QR for Showbie and Edmodo codes
Continue working on yesterday’s Popplet.