A discussion of the use of propaganda for the state and the individual.
The purpose of propaganda is to persuade a large group of people that certain beliefs are the best or most correct ones. This paper discusses how during times of difficulty for any country, propaganda can play an important role for both the state and the individual. It shows how the purpose of propaganda is to manipulate and gives examples of how at times of war such as World War II, propaganda had women persuaded to work for the war effort and how propaganda taught civilians how to use gas masks.
“More ominous propaganda in the United States justified the internment of Japanese Americans, many of whom had been born on American soil or had acquired American citizenship, for no other reason than their race and the fact that we were now at war with Japan. Propaganda promoted the concern about sabotage, especially on the West coast where most Japanese lived. These citizens were held in armed camps for the duration of the war, with propaganda making it palatable for a freedom-loving country.”