World War II in 50 Posters

Despite the increasing influence of film and radio before and during the Second World War, poster propaganda retained its ability to persuade, and its favored position as an influential tool of combatant nations. With colorful images and forceful messages, the governments of the U.S. and Europe —including distant colonies and occupied territories—attempted to manipulate public opinion to achieve their aim: victory. By its nature, war propaganda is profoundly national and emotional. Its appeal may be blunt or subtle, but it must be carefully targeted to its specific audience to be effective. To trace the inner workings of poster propaganda across the cultures of the World War II combatants, Dr. Ann Linder has grouped the posters into thematic chapters, working through the details of each poster, peeling back its layers of historical and social reference, its store of values and common memories, until she brings the reader with her into an understanding of what its wartime viewers saw and felt in their own time and place. Her analysis is complemented by a full page color reproduction of each poster which precedes her lucid and approachable explication of the interaction of image and text that controls the effect the poster had on its targeted audience. Many of the themes are familiar: national values, industrial production, espionage, and food supplies, among others, but each government approaches the theme through its own values, artistic styles and vision of itself. The posters are carefully ordered to highlight the varied approaches of the combatant nations to similar problems. Each poster serves as a window into the past. Through analyses of the military, social, cultural, and artistic history behind each poster, its full historical context can be seen, and its influence assessed. The vivid imagery of the posters brings the scenes to life for the reader, drawing the reader into an earlier time, while still maintaining historical distance. The detailed knowledge embedded in Dr. Linder’s thoughtful commentary draws together the many strands that are woven into war propaganda.