Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Throughout the course of history there has been many different kinds of political propaganda. Thomas Paine is still read today because of his skill and the power of his words. I want to know what other kinds of propaganda has there been throughout the history of the United States.

 First off I want to get into what politcal propaganda is all about. Propaganda is a form of communication such as writings, audio, or posters, that are aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position. Most propaganda is usually biased and negative towards a certain cause, but other types can be neutral. You can see most of it today in the upcoming Presidential election with all the runners making T.V. commercials.(SOURCE) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda

I found this video online, it is slow but the speaker makes some really good points about why and how political propaganda works. 
http://youtu.be/djKKFYCNeoA

Propaganda is so powerful during times of war. Propaganda has been used to promote war as well as promote peace. During both world wars there were many posters that were used to evoke an emotion from inside. In the Cold War times both countries used propaganda extensively. There was propaganda on the tv, on the radio, and even in movies. (SOURCE) http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Propaganda

Posters are probably some of the most effective propaganda tools. There have been so many made and some are extremely powerful.
                          
This one to the left was made during the first world war in order to get more people involved in the war industry. It was aimed to get Americans to stick together and make sure that you can help the soldiers even from across the sea.


This poster was obviously tiered towards women during the war. Before those times women stayed at home and didn't work and the war brought about so many new opportunites in the work place that they could take over. Since the men were overseas jobs in the auto industry, steel industry, and plane industry opened up allowing women to contribute to the country.



 You know the saying jump on the bandwagon? It's an actual term used for propaganda with political parties. During the campaining process, this is used to build momentum and followers. It is used to pressure and persuade people with common interests to vote for that certain person.