Revision with unchanged content. Poster propaganda is one of the most
enduring legacies of the Second World War. Dictatorships and democracies
used posters to influence public opinion, but was there anything unique
about German, American, British and Soviet posters? Conversely, did
these countries share any propaganda techniques, despite their vast
differences in governemnt, social structure and economic systems? This
study analyzes and compares home front poster propaganda of these four
nations, looking for broad, significant themes and trends, and arguing
that while each nation held to certain propaganda fundamentals, their
were indeed peculiar aspects of each society that gave its respective
propaganda a unique flavor. Additionally, the analysis reveals a clear
link between propa-gan-da posters and the fortunes of war. In other
words, what was said was not always as important as how it was said.
Posters may have disappeared as a major propaganda tool, but nations
still fight wars and carry out propagan-da campaigns to support the war
effort, therefore, the relationship between propaganda and war is
equally applicable today.