Linder, Ann P. World War II in 50 Posters

Understanding History through Images

Despite the growing influence of film and radio before and during the Second World War, poster propaganda retained its persuasive power and its privileged position as an influential tool of the warring nations. Using colourful images and powerful messages, the governments of the United States and Europe including distant colonies and occupied territories sought to manipulate public opinion in order to achieve their goal: victory. War propaganda is inherently deeply nationalistic and emotional. Its appeal can be blunt or subtle, but it must be carefully targeted at its specific audience to be effective. To trace the internal connections of poster propaganda in the cultures of the Second World War's belligerents, Dr Ann Linder has divided the posters into thematic chapters and examined each poster in detail to reveal its historical and social references, values and shared memories, until she provides the reader with an understanding of what viewers saw and felt in wartime, in their own time and place. Her analysis is complemented by a full-page colour reproduction of each poster, which precedes her clear and understandable explanation of the interaction between image and text that determines the poster's effect on its target audience. Many of the themes are familiar: national values, industrial production, espionage and food supply, to name but a few, but each government approaches the subject through its own values, artistic styles and self-image. The posters are carefully arranged to highlight the different approaches of the warring nations to similar problems. Each poster serves as a window into the past. By analysing the military, social, cultural and artistic history behind each poster, its full historical context can be understood and its influence assessed. The vivid images on the posters bring the scenes to life for the reader, transporting them to an earlier time while maintaining historical distance. The detailed knowledge contained in Dr. Linder's thoughtful commentary brings together the many strands woven into war propaganda.