Let's talk Propaganda Posters!


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I think we’ve all seen one or two of the Propaganda Posters that were produced many years ago, we’ve also probably heard quotes that originated from the posters, such as ‘Loose Lips, Sink Ships’ and ‘Dig for Victory’.

Looking at them today, they may seem out of place in today’s world, but we have to remember exactly that, today’s world is extremely different to what was happening in the world when these posters were created.


These Propaganda Posters did make a difference, they were known by many as ‘The Weapon on the Wall’.  It’s very important to remember that these posters have historical value to us today, because it reveals the values and attitudes of the people at the time, they show us the feelings at the time during these events.


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Why?


These posters had various intentions, such as:

  • Recruiting men to join the army.
  • Recruiting women to work in the factories, and in the Women’s Land Army.
  • Encouraging people to save food, and more importantly, not to waste it.
  • Trying to keep morale high and encourage people to buy government bonds (that would support the Wars).


When Britain declared war in August 1914 it had only a small professional army, the BEF, so they desperately needed men to join up and fight.

BUT, they also had a major obstacle, in that most people did not own radios and TV (that we so take for granted today) had not yet been invented.


The easiest (and most cost-effective) way for the government to communicate with the people was through posters, which were stuck up on walls in all the towns and cities.

Men were made to feel unmanly and cowardly for staying at home, and Women were encouraged to pressurise their husbands, boyfriends, sons and brothers to join up.

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Fear?


Fear played a HUGE PART in Propaganda Posters by motivating men to join through fear.

Posters showed the atrocities that the Germans were said to be committing in France and Belgium and people were encouraged to fear that unless they were stopped, the Germans would invade Britain and commit atrocities against their very own families.

Women were encouraged to work in the factories or to join the army or the land girls.  Let’s not forget that if these posters were encouraging Men to leave their jobs and join the War, the government needed women to take up those jobs back at home.

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There was a massive need for women in the factories, to produce the weapons, ammunition and uniforms needed for the soldiers.


There was a major food shortage and women were desperately needed to grow food for the people of Britain and the soldiers in France.

These Posters encouraged everyone to do their bit through joining up, through working for the war effort, by not wasting food and through investing in government bonds.


One of the most famous posters is the ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster.
What many people don't know is that the poster only saw limited distribution during World War II — the 2.5 million copies that were printed, were actually held back and intended for use only in times of crisis, which (thankfully) never came.

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Did they Work?

Britons did “dig for victory” (to improve agricultural output). They did “make do and mend” (to preserve clothing). They did acknowledge that “ploughing on FARMS is as vital as ARMS.” And they appeared happy enough to say to each other, “careless talk costs lives.”  In addition to this, many thousands of women responded to the call for “Eve in overalls” to take up factory work, just as they did to join the forces with “Eve in khaki”.

IMPORTANT

It is VERY IMPORTANT to remember that these posters have such a historical value to us today, it reveals the values, attitudes and feelings of the people during these events.  But let’s not forget, the history of propaganda is rich, dating all the way back to the 15th century!

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