Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 5, Number 1, Spring / Summer 2020 | Page 40

Global Security and Intelligence Studies
a war-making economy in the home
front. Posters were the most widely
used form of propaganda. The economies
of the global powers facilitated
mass production of propaganda efforts
and allowed propagandists to develop
advanced means of persuasion through
an understanding of the human psyche.
Psychological theories, although
not formally postulated at the time, allowed
propagandists to use emotionally
based methods that capitalized on patriotism,
nationalism, and fear motivators
(Chambers 1983). Social identity
theory refers to the way in which a person’s
sense of who they are is based on
group membership. Tajfel (1970) proposes
that the groups to which people
belong are an important source of pride
and self-esteem and lead to dividing
the world into “us” and “them” through
social categorization. Terror management
theory refers to the way that people
respond to an awareness and fear
of death (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, and
Solomon 1986). This fear drives people
to attempt to confirm their own sense
of importance in the world and insulate
themselves as a protective measure.
These theories were used in propaganda
efforts in the United States to influence
the American public.
The United States distributed artistic
propaganda predominantly using
newspapers, leaflets, film, radio broadcasts,
and large, colorful posters (Reed
2014). Much of the propaganda sought
to increase support for the war effort
by instilling American pride, increasing
the “us” versus “them” divide, and
by playing on people’s fears. The messages
contained within these mediums
reached saturation in their target populations
who internalized the messages
as culturally definable and identifiable
attributes. The messages were rooted
in some kernel of information or cultural
ideals upon which the larger message
was built (Kaminski 2014). The
US populace internalized the messages
contained in the propaganda, which led
to the messages becoming self-replicating
– the more people were exposed to
these ideas, the more they shared them
person-to-person.
These messages were so internalized
that they are still a part of American
history and culture today. One of
the most iconic pieces of Americana
came from WWI propaganda. The
ubiquitous Uncle Sam “I want YOU for
the US Army” poster was, and still is, a
compelling image to support one’s nation.
This demonstrates the principles
of social identity theory by increasing
people’s ties to their group. Other posters
encouraged those who could not
join the military to support the war effort
through work, savings, bonds, and
even farming initiatives. In contrast to
the general themes seen in US propaganda,
German posters often conveyed
an idea of national survival against an
impending doom (Kaminski 2014).
This demonstrates the use of terror
management theory.
Another use of social identity
theory involved emphasizing the division
between US and adversarial populations.
While much of the propaganda
tended to appeal to traditional ideals of
masculine and feminine protectorship
roles, propaganda campaigns carried
polarizing racial underpinnings (Olund
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