Summary Of The Propaganda Poster Against William Lyon Mackenzie King

This propaganda poster against William Lyon Mackenzie King shows him consulting black magic to reach a decision. In other words, voting for King implies supporting those means towards reaching a decision. In the poster, he is using a Ouija Board to make decisions. There is also a clock in the background, which King believed in as a sign. In particular, when the hands of the clock were together, or opposite at right angles, he thought someone was watching over him in the other world. Consequently, King was extremely spiritual, and that often interfered with his leadership. For example, when he met Hitler, he believed that their common interest in Wagner was indicative of the good and evil with which Hitler struggled, and that he would eventually find the right path.
The poster has the slogan, “Would you trust a Prime Minister who can’t make is own decisions”, as this depicts his reliance on black magic. Another account of King’s insufficiency to make decisions, and assert his power, was evident in the conscription crisis. Even after the public voted in support of conscription in the plebiscite, King was still hesitant to implement the policy.

In fact, King was re-elected once more even after the war in the 1945 election. However, some can argue that King was a poor leader as he often took a long time to make decisions. For example, he held off the decision concerning the conscription issue until he had to deal with it in 1942, and even then, following the plebiscite supporting conscription, it was not implemented until 1944. On the other hand, King’s consideration of the French-speaking Canadians, and his sensitivity to what they wanted, is a quality of King’s; and thus, his indication of always trying to accommodate everyone, even the