Propaganda during World War II
Throughout World War Two, propaganda was the leading cause of national racism and hatred for battling countries. It would instill images and ideas of the opposing country in order to alter the mindset of citizens in order to gain support for their country’s reasoning for the war.
This is the enemy, 1942
In response to Japan’s then recent attack on the naval base, best known as Pearl Harbor, the United States made a valiant effort to exaggerate and generalize the Japanese as merciless and inhumane, represented as a knife wielding ape chasing an American woman. The intentions of this illustration was to convince Americans to build a hatred for Japan and agree on their desire to defeat them, which led to misconceptions and racism towards the entire Japanese race throughout the war.
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The Tokio Kid, 15 June 1942
Made for the Douglas Aircraft Company, The Tokio Kid was designed to influence workers to work more efficiently and use less waste. If not, all waste produced supports the Japanese in creating weapons with all metals and scraps that are thrown away. In order to further ruin the image of the Japanese, the artist portrays the man with a bloody dagger and long, monstrous fangs as if the Japanese are animals. Squinted eyes, buck teeth, thick facial hair, and poor English stating “Good material waste in scrap help to saving face for Jap” further assist the racist stereotype on appearance and lack of intelligence.
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Don’t talk; Rats have Big Ears.,
US propaganda continued to depict the japanese as filthy animals, in this care a rat with big ears, pointed teeth, and wielding a knife. Americans were afraid of Japanese spies infiltrating their land, so imagery was used to convince citizens to watch what they say around other, as they may be working for the Japanese, who in this case, are considered rats.
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Roosevelt, the World Enemy,
Well Fought and Well Done,
After WWII was fought between America and Japan, The winner was clear and the catastrophic damage The US had on Japan was extraordinary. In order to keep hope instilled in the Japanese people, images such as Well Fought and Well Done were released in order to create a sense of victory in order to retain honor in their country , which is a key aspect of their culture that would be lost with their side of the war.
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Japanese propaganda continued to flood the streets of Japan during World War II, primarily against the United States. Images were spread in order to raise awareness of what is needed to be done to end the US once and for all. This poster was designed to convince those viewing it that dropping bombs at the heart of the country was the only way to declare a victory.
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