British propagnada during the great and the second world war

A deliberate campaign to induce action through influencing attitudes. During the Great War we were introduced to the first of its kind in Britain, and we seen it repeated again in the people’s war. Today it is evident everywhere, but where did it all begin and what gender roles did it define for society today?

In 1914 when the Great War started the British government wanted men to fight Germany; at the same time it wanted neutral countries to stay friendly to Britain. To do this it used propaganda. In countries such as Britain the use of propaganda posters was readily understandable: in 1914 Britain only possessed a professional army and did not have in place a policy of national service, as was standard in other major nations such as France and Germany.

One of the very first posters used in the First World War was of Lord Kitchener and his recruitment campaign to enlist young boys into the voluntary army. This poster is aimed at young boys over the age of eighteen. This poster is very simple and minimalist. There is nothing to distract the eye or detract from the message. In fact the red of the written code draws our attention to the message. A

With all the men away at war it was up to the women to take over their duties on the farm, in the factories. But never far from the minds was the traditional role of a woman as a wife and mother, and post war the traditional roles were assumed, although women over thirty did get the vote in 1918 as a reward for their efforts during the war.

The women of the British community were seen in a positive light also, for it was them that looked after the family and home, traditional male roles. The Minister of food directed all their campaigns at women. The Minister of food, Lord Woolton said “this is a food war” Women were encouraged to dig for victory by the Ministry of Agriculture and then use these foods for salads to feed themselves and their families. The most important form of propaganda towards women was after the decision to conscript women to war work because of the shortage of labour. Any conflict that might have arose between duty (to work in industry) and femininity is somehow reconciled here in this poster. The common theme from world war one repeating itself. Although this woman is working she is still feminine looking and is distanced from the dirt of the factory behind her. Her arms are open in the V as she waves the planes on, that she is likely to have helped build. This poster has taken a stem from the BBC’s campaign of V for Victory and is telling women without their help, nothing can be achieved. In 1944 a pamphlet was published ‘ fifty facts about women’ and showed them at work as drivers etc.., this was very different from the accounts of them at the beginning of the war. Women were considered vulnerable and weak, special broadcasts on ‘the Kitchen front’, and articles on ‘looking our best’ were common features. Yet in December 1941 the legislation for the conscription of women into the armed forces was passed, the new law applied to single women between the age of twenty and thirty. The press worked in conjunction with this campaign and printed stories such as The Queen Elizabeth joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945, where she learnt to drive and maintain army vehicles. Once again this created the idea of the nation as equal, there was no ‘you’ and ‘us’ evident. Also needed to create the anger and convince the public of why they were fighting was more atrocity propaganda.

“The British stereotype of the Hun came to personify a particular perception of the quintessential immorality of Prussian mitiliarism and provided Allied propagandists with the essential focus they required to launch their moral offensive against the enemy at home and abroad, and amongst their own troops.” This type of propaganda was aimed at the nation as a whole. They wanted to convey the terrifying consequences of defeat and thereby to sustain the will to continue until victory was secure. By using two different visual images against each other this is achieved quite simply. The use of colours here is very important the defeated Belgium lies in darkness, while the fighting British are idyllic and bright. The written message is raising the question where would you rather be?

After all the criticism of black propaganda in the first world war Britain was reluctant to be seen using any form of propaganda again, and it waited until 1939, when the outbreak of war was once again upon them. The above quote was one of the first slogans from the people’s war. Conscription was still in place, so atrocity and home front propaganda became more important. Firstly it was felt that the government needed to promote an attitude of cheerful British courage. In Jan 1940 the Home Intelligence Division was set up to see how the public reacted to propaganda. They concluded that the use of slogans such as the latter created too much of a “you” and “us” feel. A li

Some topics in this essay:
Germans Huns, Recruitment Campaign, Ministry Agriculture, IMPORTANCE” July, Battle Civilisation, Intelligence Division, World War, , Britain War, Lord Kitchener, world war, form propaganda, white feathers, represents blood shed, aimed women, posters aimed, propaganda aimed, minister food, britain propaganda, ‘you’ ‘us’, duty father protect, type propaganda,