World War I Primary Sources | World War I Propaganda Posters

Examples of propaganda posters used during World War I to
encourage citizens to support their countries' war efforts

"Rivets are bayonets. Drive them home!"

United States, 1918

Governments of all combatant countries realized that they would need the full support of their citizens to effectively wage war, and they set out to shape popular opinion in a variety of ways. Through propaganda—the spreading of ideas about the war that were favorable to the government—and censorship—the suppression of war news that was unfavorable to the government—governments tried to control how people viewed the war and the enemy. One of the main purposes of propaganda was to persuade people to act. Governments needed men to enlist, women to take on new jobs in factories and in hospitals, anyone with extra money to purchase war bonds (guaranteed loans made to the government), and...