World War 1 Propaganda Poster Analysis

Patriotic Posters in World War I Advanced technology in weaponry, sufficient military backups, a positive morale, and unity in the country all contribute to the victory in a war. World war I was a total war for many countries, which means that the whole country gathered all resources to contribute to the war. Therefore, for propagandists, an essential concentration in their jobs was producing propagandas to enhance patriotism, uniting all people and directing them to contribute in army, economy, and manufactures. The U.S. poster “Wake Up America” and the French poster “For the Flag! For Victory!” are two examples of propaganda under the theme of patriotism. Both of them employ symbolism to arouse patriotism and therefore reinforcing or changing

For instance, “Wake Up America” portrays a woman dressing in the Stars and Stripes and wearing a Phrygian Cap sleeps against a fluted column, while war smoke pervades outside the window. “For the Flag! For Victory,” demonstrates the symbolic figure Marianne holding a sword leads French troops to march forward, and the Tricolor is waving at back. Both posters use national flag, the most noticeable pattern, to appeal to the nationality (American or French respectively) of the audiences. Moreover, by cultural meanings, both the Stars and Stripes and the Tricolor symbolize liberty. Similarly, Phrygian Cap and the figure of Marianne also indicate freedom of all people. As reflecting the cultural background, liberty and freedom are essential motivations and achievements of the huge revolutions took place in the U.S. and the France, becoming the soul of American and French national spirits. People in these two countries commonly appreciate these enlightenment values. Therefore, the utilization of these symbols in posters help unite all domestic citizens by arousing their national pride about the humanity values and