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An small book extensively illustrated with many of the posters produced by this famous artist during the Second World War. There is a brief introduction by A.P.Herbert, and the illustrations are accompanied by an essay by Fougasse considering some of the objectives to be met, and the difficulties to be dealt with, by the poster artist. This allows us to appreciate all the more the images produced by Fougasse and other poster artists.
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This is the first book devoted exclusively to the analysis of the Nazis’ radio effort against the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It traces the development of the German propaganda service and looks to erode the myth surrounding Lord Haw-Haw -the ‘superpropagandist’. Propaganda is presented in context: the purposes behind it, the changing patterns, themes, styles, and techniques employed, and the impact upon the target audience and its morale. An analysis of the Nazi wireless broadcasts to Britain for the whole of the Second World War reveals a sophisticated and intelligent propaganda assault on the social and economic fabric of British society. In the end the British failed to succumb to the stupefying effects of Nazi propaganda and they traditionally congratulate themselves upon the national unity which immunised them against it. The author argues that this traditional view disguises a more complex, less appealing reality.
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The book looks at the organisation behind the broadcasts to the United Kingdom during the Second World War: the RMVP (German Propaganda Ministry). It considers the subjects used in broadcasts during the `Phoney war`, including the type of social problems in Britain upon which the Nazis focused. It also discusses the subject matter used during a time of seemingly `unstoppable victories` for the Nazis, and also reflects upon how they dealt with the issue of defeat. The book also considers how the British, including the state, the media, and the people, reacted to the broadcasts.
People often felt that they were not being given enough facts by their own government, so turned to `Lord Haw-Haw` for information. Along with other recent books by James Chapman ‘The British at War: Cinema, State and Propaganda’ (1998) and Mariel Grant ‘Propaganda and the Role of State in Interwar Britain’ (1994) this book is a converted, well-researched, PhD thesis dealing with an otherwise under-researched area in the ever-widening field of British propaganda studies, with a particular focus upon the highly mythologized figure of `Lord Haw-Haw`
An interesting extra to the book is a CD which contains a selection of wartime broadcasts by `Lord Haw-Haw` and other broadcasters from Germany, spanning January 1940 to April 1945. It is interesting that new media has allowed a wider circulation of such topics, with a reasonable sound quality.
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When I bought this book, it was the cover which caught my eye! A multiplicity of colourful Guinness advertising (particularly posters) was tiled across the front. However, the new cover is also instantly recognisable as Guinness advertising – reminiscent of the ‘black and white’ campaign which has again been replaced! One cannot stand still in the world of advertising as interest in the product needs to be maintained!
Guinness advertisements have been running since 1929, necessary in a world in which pubs were/are tied to breweries, the independent drink needed to create such a demand for the drink that pubs would be FORCED to stock it! The entire history of Guinness advertising is dealt with intelligently in this book, which is finished off with a bibliography for further research.
A wonderful, informative, nostalgic book – and I don’t even LIKE Guinness!!!
You can see more at the Guinness website.
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A well illustrated work that accompanied an exhibition of war posters at the Imperial War Museum. It was edited by Joseph Darracott, the head of the Art Department at the IWM, with many illustrations prefaced by a short introductory piece. Each of the colour poster illustrations, most of which are British (a reflection of the holdings of the IWM, which contains some 20-30,000 British posters) are accompanied by biographical information about the artist, and contextual information about the situation in which the posters were produced.
“Posters are not designed to last, rather, they are intended to catch the mood of the moment and turn it to advantage. … As we look at war posters, we see our modern world reflected.” [p9]
Aimed largely at the undergraduate market (unfortunately un-referenced), the book beings with a brief discussion of the connotations of the word ‘propaganda’: “For some ‘propaganda art’ is a contradiction in terms: ‘propaganda’ suggests government-sponsored censorship, intimidation and deception, while ‘art’ implies the pursuit of beauty, truth and freedom.”
Clark argues against this negative and unbalanced view, examining the complex relationship between art and politics, demonstrating how works of art can have a political purpose, and considering how particular art styles become associated with political systems.
Clark considers not only the state propaganda produced by the dictatorship states, but also deals with the question of propaganda as produced by democratic states, from the late 19th century to the 1990s
The image used on the front cover is one of the best remembered posters from the Second World War, and is contrasted in the book with a poster used in the First World War which highlights the differing roles of women during the world wars.
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This work is converted from Chapman’s PhD, and is described as a “comprehensive history of the role, nature and organisation of film propaganda in Britain during the Second World War.” Chapman challenges the received wisdom that WW2 propaganda was shambolic and disorganised.
He shows how film propaganda was more successful than alleged. He examines the roles of both commercial film industry and government film units; through an analysis of government and trade sources he explores the relationship between the Ministry of Information & sectors of the film industry. He discusses the role of the cinema as a vehicle for propaganda – set within the context of a country at war. He identifies themes and images through the analysis of key films, whilst exploring their competing entertainment and propaganda values.
Chapman investigated a wide range of different sources including government records, the trade press, newspaper reviews, Mass-Observation surveys & some private letters, memoranda and committee minutes to produce a thorough, well-written, analytical work.
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The first half of the book contains some illustrations, but is largely text covering a brief history of the Second World War. Cantwell claims that “No British poster of the Second World War had the dramatic impact or the ensuring quality of Kitchener’s ‘Your Country Needs YOU’ in the First.” But many poster slogans have never been forgotten by those who lived through the war years, but most people who DIDN’T live through that time could name at least one or two poster slogans: ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’, ‘Dig for Victory’, and ‘Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases’ – although I’m sure you can remember many more!
He claimed that “Visually, they cannot be regarded as great works of art; neither were they intended as such by the artists concerned, many of them distinguished within their own profession.” It was not only the message that was important, the posters also “tell us something about the prevailing manners and customs. They also mirror the changing fortunes of the war…”[p4]
The second half of the book is devoted to some of the many posters produced during the war, by the Ministry of Information, amongst others. The only shame is that with so many posters to choose from, and so little space, there are three or four series which are over-represented amongst the selection.
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This book is a really useful source to consider before you visit the Public Record Office on any project, whether personal or academic. If possible, use in conjunction with their online catalogue before you start any research. The book gives a very good idea of what is contained in the PRO, along with factual information about the Ministers of various departments, accompanied by several pages of information about the wartime roles of the various departments and ministries.
A really fascinating book which considers, as the title says, the 100 best posters of the twentieth century. BUT, who decides what can be considered the ‘best’. The decisions were made by a wide range of people working for some of the most prolific current British advertising agencies.
Apparently a lot of time was required to produce a list of the ’100 best’, but of particular interest to me, studying for a PhD in British WW2 posters, are the 5 posters from that period which are chosen, by Abram Games, who worked for the War Office. Also of interest was the fact that the First World War poster, Kitchener’s ‘Your Country Needs You‘, which is so well remembered, and has been so much imitated, at number 2!
When I first received this book, my friends and I spent an enjoyable time looking at those we remembered, and considering the reasoning behind which some of them had been picked. A very good spread of posters from the entire century, which considering the time it was written, does not focus too much upon the recent campaigns to the detriment of past campaigns. A few more historical comments would have been interesting, but that was not really the remit of this work!
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Balfour worked for the Ministry of Information during the Second World War, from March 1939 to March 1942, he was Temporary Principal in General Division of MOI, which gave him a good view of the Home Front. From April 1942 until the end of the war he was Assistant Director of Intelligence in Political Warfare Executive/ Psychological Warfare Division of SHAEF, which gave him a good view of enemy front.
This was the first book to deal with both Britain and Germany, including what each government said to its own, and to each others public. He believed that only by doing this could we understand the whole picture, as each aspect sheds light on the others.
The scope of the book was confined to Britain and Germany unless outside events particularly impinged, concentrated upon the civilian front. It was not intended to be comprehensive, but picked important and interesting aspects. Balfour did not refer back to many documents but worked from ‘acknowledged authorities’, using footnotes to give pointers to other sources of interest.
The balance of the book was inevitably affected as he was better informed about Germany than Britain, due to the fact that there were more sources available. However, he felt that the purpose of the book was not only to describe events 1918-1945, but to shed some light as to nature of propaganda. Balfour tried to answer the following questions in the book:
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See a book review from a reader in Ottawa (PDF).
drbexl