Enemies of the States: A Comparative Analysis of the Visual Depictions of America's Enemies (Real or Imagined) During World Wars I and II
Open Access
Author:
Vento, Jackson
Area of Honors:
History
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Dan Letwin, Thesis Supervisor Jacob F. Lee, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
World War I World War II Propaganda Posters
Abstract:
During World War I and II, the United States government made extensive use of propaganda to garner support for the war. Given the vast differences between the attributes and actors of the World Wars, the United States government produced a wide range of material, from posters touting traditional American values such as family and liberty to films illustrating the wickedness of the enemy. This thesis focuses on the visual depictions of three forces: the Germans in World War I, Nazis in World War II, and Japanese in World War II. Many factors influenced the themes and messages of this propaganda, such as attitudes toward these ethnic groups prior to the wars, immigration patterns, contemporary political movements, wartime posters, and the organizations behind the creation and distribution of United States propaganda. In compiling these influential factors and analyzing the propaganda itself, this thesis demonstrates that propaganda reflects – but also reinforces and even amplifies – domestic attitudes about ethnicity, nationality, and war. Despite the similarities between the various depictions of ethnic groups or political entities, U.S. propaganda from both World Wars did not follow a uniform patter. Instead, U.S. propagandists visually depicted their nation’s enemies in ways that applied preexisting ethnic stereotypes unique to each enemy.
