WWI Propaganda Propaganda Advertising attempts to sell products

WWI Propaganda

Propaganda • Advertising attempts to sell products • Propaganda attempts to sell ideas

Who created WWI propaganda? • President Wilson created the Committee on Public Information to mobilize public support for the war • The CPI was headed by muckraking journalist George Creel • The CPI launched a massive poster campaign • They also urged filmmakers to make movies that played up German war crimes

War Bonds • War bonds generated $$$ for the government during WWI. • How war bonds worked: – Citizens bought war bonds – The $$$ went to the government – The government repaid the bonds when the war was over (plus interest)

Types of Propaganda 1. Assertion: An assertion is an enthusiastic or energetic statement presented as a fact, although it is not necessarily true. It should merely be accepted without question. 2. Bandwagon: an appeal to the subject to follow the crowd, to join in because others are doing so as well.

Types of Propaganda 3. Card Stacking: It involves only presenting information that is positive to an idea or proposal and omitting information contrary to it. 4. Glittering Generalities: Glittering generalities are words that have different positive meaning for individual subjects, but are linked to highly valued concepts.

Types of Propaganda 5. Lesser of Two Evils: The "lesser of two evils" technique tries to convince us of an idea or proposal by presenting it as the least offensive option. 6. Name Calling: It is the use of derogatory language or words that carry a negative connotation when describing an enemy.

Types of Propaganda 7. Pinpointing the Enemy: This is an attempt to simplify a complex situation by presenting one specific group or person as the enemy.

• 8. Plain Folks: The plain folks device is an attempt to convince the public that his views reflect those of the common person and that they are also working for the benefit of the common person.

Types of Propaganda 9. Simplification (Stereotyping): It reduces a complex situation to a clearcut choice involving good and evil. 10. Testimonials: Testimonials are quotations or endorsements which attempt to connect a famous or respectable person with a product or item.

Types of Propaganda 11. Transfer: It is an attempt to make people view a certain item in the same way as they view another item, to link the two in the subjects mind.

1. What idea is the CPI (Committee on Public Information) “selling? ” 2. What propaganda technique does the CPI use?