World War II in 50 Posters: Understanding History Through Images

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 f