How Propaganda Was Used to Manipulate and Deceive the Public During World War One
On July 28, 1914, Germany, Austria, and Serbia declared war after the unexpected assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Shortly after this occurred, the war had escalated, soon involving countries world wide; dividing the world into two major groups: The Central Powers, and the Allied Powers. Through the many battles that took place until the war’s end in 1918, propaganda was used to deceive young men and their families into glorifying battlefield and trench warfare conditions, as well as demonising the enemy.
Propaganda During World War One
During the first World War, propaganda was used by the government to deceive citizens' perception of warfare reality. Through the use of clever descriptions and demonising images, both the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) as well as the Allied Powers (Great Britain, Italy, France, Russia, Canada, Romania, China and the United States of America) were able to convince their residents that the opposing side was to be considered inhumane and animalistic. University of Georgia researchers further explain how propaganda was used to unethically manipulate individuals:
Propaganda often incorporated national symbols and figures that drew on each nation’s history and mythology. Propaganda also employed depictions of the enemy to scare citizens into action. (Cleveland, War of Words: Propaganda of World War I)
During the two-year time period that the United States involved themselves within the war, the C.P.I. (Committee on Public Information) broadcasted both visual and verbal forms of propaganda, often targeting Germany and referring to them as the “Mad Brute’s”.
At Creel’s direction, the CPI celebrated America’s immigrants and fought the perception that those who hailed from Germany, Austria, and Hungary were less American than their neighbors. (O’Toole, How the US Government Used Propaganda to Sell Americans on World War I)
As researchers at History noted above, not only did this lead to further tension between Germany and the United States, but America was able to glorify their reputation in warfare, and demonise the opponent; further encouraging individuals to fight for their country at war.
War Conditions and Propaganda
It can be easily said that trench warfare was nothing less than vicious, foul and sickening. Propaganda was often used to completely twist citizens' perception of the brutality that came with this protective style of war. Posters and flyers were often adorned with glorified images of either American or German soldiers, as well as beautified battlefields and powerful phrases to convince young men going to war was a noble and heroic action. However, lucious fields and clean uniforms were far from the truth.
For stability, some trenches included wooden beams and/or sandbags. Even during lulls in the fighting, death occurred almost daily in the trenches due to a sniper’s bullet or the unsanitary living conditions which resulted in many diseases such as dysentery, typhus and cholera. (Delaware Historical & Cultural Affairs, World War I Begins)
As stated above, conditions in the trenches were less than ideal. For months at a time, soldiers would spend their days crouched in wet, infested dirt trenches. Through these times, they were surrounded by waste, bodies, and pests that often led to the development of many diseases and illnesses such as Trench Foot, or Trench Mouth, the buildup of bacteria in either the shoes or throat. Through the use of clever marketing the C.P.I. was able to manipulate their citizens into the belief that warfare was to be something ‘exciting’ and ‘heroic’ when in reality, young men often met their demise in these sickening and unethical conditions.
Conclusion
By 1918, the Allied Powers were deemed victorious, and the war came to an end. Approximately forty million casualties were recorded, twenty million injured and twenty million deceased. In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed by both the Allied Powers and Germany, formally ending the war and stating that Germany would financially aid all damage done during the four year war.
Works Cited
World War I: Summary, Causes & Facts | HISTORY, 29 October 2009,
O'Toole, Patricia. How the US Government Used Propaganda to Sell Americans on World War I | HISTORY, 22 May 2018, https://www.history.com/news/world-war-1-propaganda-woodrow-wilson-fake-news. Accessed 15 September 2024.
“War of Words: Propaganda of World War I.” UGA Libraries, 14 June 2018, https://libraries.uga.edu/news/wwipropaganda. Accessed 15 September 2024.
“World War I Begins - Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs - State of Delaware.” Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, https://history.delaware.gov/world-war-i/. Accessed 15 September 2024.
Yorumlar