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How Propaganda Swayed the Public Opinion During World War I
Rachel Corona
Abstract
World War 1 proved America to be the nation producing the highest amount of propaganda. Through his use of propaganda President Wilson was able to draw American Support for the war. Despite his being elected as the “peace” president. Many Americans believed he’d keep them out of the war, especially after he stated that, “so far as I can remember, this is a government of the people, and this people is not going to choose war.” Before his election, Wilson promoted American neutrality. He pushed for what he believed his Americans wanted. However, through his employment of propaganda, Woodrow Wilson was able …show more content…

Because of this fear, President Wilson had to prey on Americans’ sense of patriotism. He employed several propaganda posters similar to the one above telling Americans; “I want YOU for the U.S. Army”. Propaganda posters like the one above were successful in recruiting men into the military because they played on a person’s sense of patriotism. It depicts Uncle Sam, a man symbolic of fulfilling one’s duties and serving our country. In the poster, Uncle Sam is pointing at every man that walks by it. He’s psychologically recruiting every American to fulfill their duties to their country. He wants every American to join the cause and fight for what’s best for the country. In all, President Wilson’s propaganda helped to enlist over four million Americans in the war, plus about five hundred thousand volunteers (five times as many volunteers as originally expected). Propaganda posters like this also helped to gain the general population’s support for the war effort by hinting at the view that it’s unpatriotic to not support our soldiers. Persuading Americans into Accepting Rations for Food: Another facet of war involves the maintenance and sustenance of our troops. It’s not enough to send men out to fight a war anymore. We need to provide sustenance for them. The government usually funds for food, clothing and other necessary materials.