A Thousand Words

Poster propaganda is one of the most enduring legacies of the Second World War. Dictatorships and democracies used posters to influence public opinion, but was there anything unique about German, American, British and Soviet posters? Conversely, did these countries share any propaganda techniques, despite their vast differences in governemnt, social structure and economic systems? This study analyzes and compares home front poster propaganda of these four nations, looking for broad, significant themes and trends, and arguing that while each nation held to certain propaganda fundamentals, their were indeed peculiar aspects of each society that gave its respective propaganda a unique flavor. Additionally, the analysis reveals a clear link between propa­gan­da posters and the fortunes of war. In other words, what was said was not always as important as how it was said. Posters may have disappeared as a major propaganda tool, but nations still fight wars and carry out propagan­da campaigns to support the war effort, therefore, the relationship between propaganda and war is equally applicable today.