War propaganda is manipulating people’s attitude toward war.  Widespread support was necessary for effectively waging war.  Propaganda was “spreading of ideas about the war that were favorable to the government—and through censorship—the suppression of war news that was unfavorable to the government” (page 60).  Generating hate against the enemy was the primary purpose of propaganda.  Demonizing the enemy justifies the war and killing.  “One story told of how German soldiers cut the breasts off a Belgian nurse and left her to die; other stories, reports Williams, told of “raping of nuns, impaling of babies on bayonets, and mutilation of Belgian girls.”(page 60) so killing Germans was seen as defending innocent civilians.   Propaganda also generates support among the people of a nation.  War posters and other propaganda often appealed to men’s emotions by trying to convince them that joining the army would bring them fame, glory, and that they would become heroes. Campaigns also tried to convince men that serving in the army would be a great adventure. Men who believed in the propaganda would later learn that it was a lie and life for most men in the army was an incredible hardship full of death, disease, and misery. Another way of attracting people was by creating guilt within people who did not join the army or did not contribute to the war effort. At first, the posters relied simply on text to get their message across; as the war progressed the posters become increasingly detailed with artists using striking images to convey pro-war and anti-enemy messages.How did the Government Spread War Propaganda?The government censored the news coverage to shape public opinion.  “War departments submitted their version of how the war was going and newspaper editors were expected to print that news exactly as it was given to them.”(page 161).  The government didn’t want the people to know certain things that were going on. They would make thousands of copies of posters in different languages and spread them across the world depicting each other inhumanly.  Words such as barbaric, evil, destructful and wicked were used to describe the other side.  Atrocities allegedly committed by the other side that might have been unfounded were reported.  Propaganda throughout the war was so important that they would fly airplanes over enemy lines and drop thousands of posters and flyers onto their side to spread messages.  The Germans undermined the Allies by using propaganda suggesting there were spies and covert operations that had infiltrated the Allies.  This created great suspicions and paranoia among the public.Why did the Government Make Propaganda?Propaganda was a strategic weapon used in WWI. The military and government made citizens feel that they needed to fight in the war.  Joining the service was a patriotic duty. The campaigns described the enemy as evil and they would spread hatred. Not only was propaganda used for recruitment, it was also used to promote patriotism, justify the war, raise money and produce resources. The government would also used propaganda as a way to exploit the enemy. For example, when the Germans sunk the Lusitania  (a passenger ship) and killed 1,198 people with supposedly allied weapons on it, the Germans gave out medals. The British wrote articles about this to shame the Germans and generate anti-German sentiment because of the senseless killing 1,198 innocent people. How Did Propaganda Effect WW1?Without WWI propaganda, the military would have had less resources, money and people committed to the war. This realization lead to war propaganda being a deciding factor in the war. The propaganda also influenced other countries to decide what side they were going to join. By December 1916, the War Pictorial was running at a circulation of 500,000 copies per issue, in four editions covering 11 languages. In chinese they had circulation of 250,000 issues, and was described as having ‘such a powerful effect upon the masses that the Chinese government were able to declare war against Germany( Influencing the news, Ian cooke).Who Made War Propaganda?The government and allied military including USA, Britain, France, Canada produced war propaganda.  They commissioned artists to make these posters or flyers then mass produce thousands of copies to distribute around the whole country for everyone to see. Germany spread propaganda as well. Germany propaganda included material written in Urdu, aimed at Indian regiments fighting in Europe. These leaflets and posters played on the resentments of British rule in India, and attempted to persuade soldiers to stop fighting or join with German troops.Canada’s War PropagandaDuring the First World War, the Canadian government used posters as propaganda devices, for fundraising purposes and to encourage voluntary enlistment in the armed forces. Posters were an important form of mass communication in before radio’s and hundreds existed during the war, some with print runs in the tens of thousands.Because of Canada’s different languages and traditions, recruiting posters text and images reflected different cultural traditions and outlooks.The French-Canadian recruiting posters on display in the Les Purs Canayens exhibit reflect Canada’s  demand for people during the First World War. Most French-speaking Canadians did not support Canada’s overseas military commitments to the same degree as English speakers.Overall, not a lot of Canadians could have guessed at this time that their nation soon would become a country in the worst conflict the world had yet seen, or that the war would place a huge amount political and social pressure on Canada.My Propaganda MessageThere is a group of united, patriotic soldiers lined up and ready to protect our country from foreign invaders. There is a powerful, clear message in the middle that is encouraging “you” to join.  It is suggests that it is your moral duty and civic responsibility to join.  It implies that there is always space for you to help your country and that you need to enlist now. The reason that the background is red with the United Kingdom flag and a crest is because that was Canada’s flag during WWI.