The impact of propaganda during the wars

Wartime Propaganda

            In the two world wars, many countries needed a way to increase support for the war efforts. The most popular method was to use propaganda which had a big effect on the outcome of the wars. Wartime propaganda was heavily use by both sides fighting the war. It was an organized way of spreading information that would impact the viewer’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings, actions, and judgment. The propaganda content was very enthusiastic and exciting but as the wars progressed; the calls for help became more desperate. The content made the population feel guilty of not contributing enough to the war. Propaganda’s ideas consisted of popular themes to a specific region as it would be easily accepted by the citizens. Propaganda was conveyed in many different ways such as posters, newspapers, movies, stories, and passed from mouth to mouth. The propaganda generator in Canada during the wars was the Wartime Information Board. Propaganda contained selected truths, exaggerations, and sometimes complete lies. Governments wanted the population to believe that their nation was headed in the right direction towards victory so the citizens would trust them. Propaganda was a major contributor to the Allied Victory in the World Wars due to its ability to gather new workers, promote the financing of the war, and increasing the morale of the Allied nations.

            Wartime Propaganda was important to provide soldiers and reinforcements during the war. Canadian propaganda influenced eligible men for war into fighting for freedom. It constantly pressured the population into joining the army. Many men believed the recruitment propaganda thus leading to the increased sizes of the Canadian Army. The Canadian Wartime Information Board was responsible for making propaganda in both World War One and World War Two (Air Museum). The Board made over 700 posters which Canadian Citizens could easily recognize. The propaganda created a strong sense of national pride in the Canadian population especially on the young men. It convinced many minority groups such as the Aboriginals and French Canadians to fight for Canada (Soules, M). This made English Canadians feel guilty that fellow countrymen that have been mistreated are sacrificing themselves while they are doing nothing. The Canadian army played a major role in the famous World War battles such as Vimy Ridge and the Dieppe Raid. The army also lost many soldiers during these battles. The propaganda raised volunteers that refreshed the Canadian Army. Without the propaganda, the men back in Canada would never have had the courage or the motivation to join the fighting overseas. The new recruits gave confidence in the army as there was strength in numbers. Therefore, the propaganda raised new soldiers for the Canadian army to win the wars.

            Canada was not financially prepared for the World Wars. The Canadian government promoted the Victory Bond campaign in all different forms of propaganda. Canada needed all the money they could get for the wars and the most efficient way to get money was from the Canadian population itself. The Canadian government constantly stressed to the citizens that financing the war was very important. The amount of money a nation has represents and reflects the success the nation will have in the war. Propaganda helped spread awareness of the Victory Bonds as it provided content which helped the viewer visualize the paradise after victory. The Canadian Victory Bond campaign was very successful as it raised eight billion dollars to support the war efforts (Air Museum). Canada was just beginning to recover from the Great Depression when World War Two started. Canada and its citizens were not prepared as the economy was doing very poorly. If the propaganda was not effective in financing the war, then Canada could not have received enough money to continue fighting. The eight billion dollars raised from the Victory Bond Campaign gave Canada the ability to contribute more and achieve victory in both World Wars.

            Finally, Wartime propaganda increased the morale of Canada and its citizens as the war became more depressing. The length of the World Wars made Canadians fatigued mentally. The Canadians needed motivation from anything that would make them continue to support the war efforts. Johnny Canuck was created to resemble a perfect Canadian Citizen who was proud, patriotic, and heroic (Alberta Source). Johnny appeared everywhere in Canada to increase morale. Graphic images made the viewer feel patriotic, become angry, or made them fearful of the consequences of a loss. Propaganda assured the citizens that their military and political actions were for the right reason while their enemies’ actions were corrupt. Propaganda needed to spread the ideologies of the government which the citizens can follow for a sense of direction. The Canadian citizens had a lot of problems handling the pressure, responsibilities, and demands of the two wars. There were large amounts of negative thinking about supporting the war effort during the tough times. The spread of negative thinking would have hindered the effort that the citizens were giving to the war. Propaganda reduced the negative thoughts. The emphasis on victories and life after them kept the citizens motivated. The propaganda also kept the Canadians focused so they could give all they had into getting victory for the Allied Forces.

            Propaganda’s effectiveness in gathering new forces, spreading awareness of the Victory Bond Campaign, and focusing the Canadians toward the objective made it a vital role in the Allied victory in both World Wars. Canadian Wartime Propaganda served three main purposes. Firstly, it provided additional workers and soldiers to increase military power. Secondly, it made the Canadian population realized the importance of financing the war as money is reflected by success. Lastly, Propaganda provided motivation and direction to inform the Canadian citizens of the task which they must accomplish. Propaganda has developed into one of the most important function in society. It enables new creative products or ideologies to be accepted into the population. Through the constant pressure of propaganda, humans can be easily mislead and even manipulated. Propaganda has been a large part of the human society and it will continue to grow to have even more influence in human life in the future.