Propaganda Comes of Age
The 1930s and 1940s saw the spread of information through new technologies. This allowed for an unprecedented distribution of propaganda.
- Increased literacy made newspapers, pamphlets, and posters more accessible.
- More affordable record players offered listeners stirring speeches and patriotic songs.
- Popular movies rallied public opinion.
- The radio, a relatively new form of mass media, became an influential source of information—and misinformation.
Modern art influenced the look of World War II propaganda, with bold and sophisticated images and graphics.
Left: The slogan “Don’t slow up the ship!” encouraged American workers to be faster and more efficient.
Center: The popular Hollywood movie Casablanca featured anti-Nazi heroes.
Right: Affordable and subsidized by the German government, Volksempfänger radios broadcast “approved” content only.
Although propaganda is thousands of years old, it came of age in the 20th century. — David Welch, historian
Take Notes
Today, we are bombarded with information, advertising, and news. Compare and contrast how information was delivered in the 1940s with current methods.
- How would you reach a mass audience today?
- How might modern mass media shape a propaganda campaign?
