British propaganda in WW1 and WW2
Source 1: First World War poster, published January 1915
Definition:
Propaganda - information, especially of a biased or misleading
nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.
For each source:
a. Explain what the person who made this source is trying to
achieve.
b. Identify the features of the poster you can pick out to prove this.
c. Explain why this person felt the need to make the poster at that
particular time.
Extension task:
Do you think propaganda was necessary or unnecessary?
Example:
Source 1
a. It is trying to get people to join the armed forces.
b. I know this from the ‘you’ which is underlined to make it stand
out and appeal directly to the reader. The sunshine in the
background also tries to show that the future is bright, also from
the word ‘victory’ that is cleverly placed in the beams of the sun.
c. In 1914/15 the British army was quite small so they needed troops
so that they could expand. We also know that the First World War
had a huge casualty rate so many soldiers were dying every day,
therefore this poster was required to help the country to fill the
gaps in their army. The war had not ‘ended by Christmas’ so a
new recruitment campaign was needed to convince people to join
up.
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
Via Wikimedia Commons
24968
Page 1 of 5
British propaganda in WW1 and WW2
Source 2: First World War recruitment poster
Source 3: First World War poster
By Parliamentary Recruiting Committee [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
By UBC Library Digitization Centre [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
24968
Page 2 of 5
British propaganda in WW1 and WW2
Source 4: Second World War poster
Source 5: Second World War poster
via Wikimedia Commons
Tom Purvis [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
24968
Page 3 of 5
British propaganda in WW1 and WW2
Source 6: Second World War poster
Source 7: Second World War poster, 1940. This was published
soon after the fall of France and evacuation from Dunkirk.
Via Wikimedia Commons
By Pat Keely [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
24968
Page 4 of 5
British propaganda in WW1 and WW2
Source 6: Second World War poster, 1942.
Roy Nockolds [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
© www.teachithistory.co.uk 2016
24968
Page 5 of 5