The Power of Propaganda
Governments soon recognized the power of propaganda, establishing official agencies whose sole mission was to create propaganda. Businesses also created movies, books, brochures, and other items with similar propaganda messages. The ability to mass-produce goods offered wide-scale distribution of a range of products, from buttons to dolls to playing cards. Propaganda thus became a modern weapon of war.
Look at the examples on this page. Then use the table below to analyze the ways in which propaganda infiltrated everyday activities.
Left: A collection of items featuring the American rallying cry: “Remember Pearl Harbor!”
Center: A German child’s doll dressed as a member of the SA, the Nazi paramilitary organization (also known as
Brown Shirts").
Right: Playing cards with pictures of “WAVES,” the women’s branch of the U.S. Naval Reserve.
Take Notes
Fill in the table by answering the following questions for each of the items pictured above.
- Who is the target audience for this item?
- What is the goal or message of this item?
