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Propaganda Posters of World War One
Introductory slides
Subject(s):
History, English
Age group(s):
12-14
Topic:
World War One
Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes. ©British Council 2014
Source | This resource was originally developed by Zdravka Davies and has been adapted by EAL Nexus.
Propaganda Posters of
World War One
What is Propaganda?
Propaganda is information that is spread to promote a
cause or belief.
In World War One propaganda posters were used
to:o recruit men to join the army
o use women to encourage their men to join the army
o portray the enemy, the Germans, negatively
o recruit women to work in the factories, in the
Women’s Land Army and to become nurses
o keep morale high, encourage people to buy
government bonds and not to waste food
Why were propaganda
posters needed during
World War One?
When Britain declared war with Germany in August
1914, it had only a small professional army.
They desperately needed men to join up and fight
Most people did not have radios ( and TV and
Internet had not yet been invented!)
The easiest way for the government to
communicate with the people was through posters
stuck up on walls in all the towns and cities
Posters became the “weapon on the wall”
Why are WW1
Propaganda Posters
interesting today?
 For historians today, propaganda
posters of World War One reveal
(show) the values and attitudes of
the time
 They tell us something about the
feelings in Britain during World War
One
A
How were men
encouraged to join the
army?
Men were made to feel unmanly and
cowardly for staying at home. They were
influenced through persuasion, fear,
guilt, confrontation and accusation. The
posters were appealing to the men’s
patriotism, reminding them that they had
the duty of serving their God, king and
country.
B
How were women used
to encourage men to
join the army?
Women were encouraged to pressurise
their husbands, fathers, sons and
brothers to join the army. The
propaganda addressed the emotions of all
women.
C
How were the Germans
presented negatively?
Posters showed the atrocities (cruel, violent acts)
that the Germans were said to be committing in
France and Belgium.
People were encouraged to fear that unless they
were stopped, the Germans would invade Britain
and commit atrocities against their families .
The posters exaggerated the hatred and fear of
the Germans by making people think that they
might attack their friends and families.
D
How were women encouraged
to work as nurses, in
factories, or join the
Women’s land army?
When the men joined the war, the women were
needed to do their jobs. They started working in the
factories producing weapons, ammunition (bullets,
grenades, bombs) and uniforms needed for the
soldiers. There was food shortage and women grew
food for the people of Britain and the soldiers in the
army. Thousands of men were injured at the Front
and military hospitals needed more nurses.
E
Encouraging everyone
to do their bit
o All British citizens were encouraged to
work for the war effort
o People were given advice on how not to
waste food by being self-sufficient,
growing and preserving food.
o All were encouraged to invest in
government bonds, which was a way of
building the government funds.