Women in World War II Propaganda: The United States vs Germany During war times governments work to influence their citizens through propaganda, appealing to nationalistic beliefs and defining the ‘ideal’ citizen in order to support the war effort. Propaganda encouraged men to embrace their masculinity and inner soldier, while women were influenced by propaganda in other ways. While it is clear that in a total war effort, the entire population must make sacrifices to support the war effort, different governments have contradicting view of what role women play in war times. The United States’ ability to mobilize their entire population in a total war effort, with strong figures including Rosie the Riveter and opportunities for women to support
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As men left factory jobs and other male dominated industries, women were encouraged to fill these openings to contribute to the war effort. The government “wanted publishers and others to push all kinds of employment as vital ‘war jobs’. [...] The slogan for this promotion was: ‘The More Women at Work the Sooner We Win’.” Jack Doyle emphasized the importance of this government propaganda in an article published in his website focusing on power of pop culture showing the long term cultural impact of this movement, but he does not analyze the historical context or significance. This perspective make it apparent that the use of propaganda in media not only inspired women to take up jobs in manufacturing, but also created a societal shift in which these jobs became socially acceptable for women. Maureen Honey further investigates the role of propaganda during WWII in her novel, Creating Rosie the Riveter: Class, Gender, and Propaganda During World War II, discussing the key relocation of women in the workforce explaining that “due to the influx of women into aircraft, shipping, and ammunition manufacture their numbers rose from only 8 percent of all durable goods production workers in 1939 to 25 percent in 1944”. As a professor of women’s studies, Honey focuses on the role of women without a clear analysis of factors that …show more content…
Jonathan Moch’s dissertation about women in Nazi propaganda identifies the shortcomings German doctrine saying, “Later on in the duration of the war however, [German] policy would change because a greater workforce of women was needed to allow the men to go to battle”. While Moch’s analysis addresses many of the failures of German propaganda in order to support his thesis, these concerns are valid and based strongly on historical data. The Nazi’s inconstistant use of propoganda and conflicting messages reduced the government 's ability to influence their citizens. Moch further explains this failure asserting that “despite all the efforts on the part of the Nazis to get women to be valiant mothers in the home as well as be a driving force in the workplace in order to support the cause in times of war, their efforts were mildly successful”. Nazi ideology and the needs of a total war economy conflict because while Nazi’s belive a women’s place is in the home, in total war everyone is needed to keep the country running. In Germany these incompatible goals were never reconciled leading to dire consequences for the war effort. In contrast, in the United States propaganda encouraged women to participate in the war effort showing a woman, “serving both family and country at once, and
As men left factory jobs and other male dominated industries, women were encouraged to fill these openings to contribute to the war effort. The government “wanted publishers and others to push all kinds of employment as vital ‘war jobs’. [...] The slogan for this promotion was: ‘The More Women at Work the Sooner We Win’.” Jack Doyle emphasized the importance of this government propaganda in an article published in his website focusing on power of pop culture showing the long term cultural impact of this movement, but he does not analyze the historical context or significance. This perspective make it apparent that the use of propaganda in media not only inspired women to take up jobs in manufacturing, but also created a societal shift in which these jobs became socially acceptable for women. Maureen Honey further investigates the role of propaganda during WWII in her novel, Creating Rosie the Riveter: Class, Gender, and Propaganda During World War II, discussing the key relocation of women in the workforce explaining that “due to the influx of women into aircraft, shipping, and ammunition manufacture their numbers rose from only 8 percent of all durable goods production workers in 1939 to 25 percent in 1944”. As a professor of women’s studies, Honey focuses on the role of women without a clear analysis of factors that …show more content…
Jonathan Moch’s dissertation about women in Nazi propaganda identifies the shortcomings German doctrine saying, “Later on in the duration of the war however, [German] policy would change because a greater workforce of women was needed to allow the men to go to battle”. While Moch’s analysis addresses many of the failures of German propaganda in order to support his thesis, these concerns are valid and based strongly on historical data. The Nazi’s inconstistant use of propoganda and conflicting messages reduced the government 's ability to influence their citizens. Moch further explains this failure asserting that “despite all the efforts on the part of the Nazis to get women to be valiant mothers in the home as well as be a driving force in the workplace in order to support the cause in times of war, their efforts were mildly successful”. Nazi ideology and the needs of a total war economy conflict because while Nazi’s belive a women’s place is in the home, in total war everyone is needed to keep the country running. In Germany these incompatible goals were never reconciled leading to dire consequences for the war effort. In contrast, in the United States propaganda encouraged women to participate in the war effort showing a woman, “serving both family and country at once, and