Propaganda

Propaganda, the art of persuasion and deception, has long been notorious for its ability to manipulate the population - the holocaust was a gory testament to the atrocities that this machination is capable of. Already in the 1930s, information had become a potent weapon in the context of total war, to which US Senator Hiram Warren Johnson had famously addressed: “In war, truth is the first casualty”. In spite of the smear and disdain that modern society has against propaganda, it is not to be neglected that during the great crucible of WWII, the use of propaganda by the Canadian government had made profound contributions to the Allied war effort as well as the Canadian society by rallying the home front, strengthening national unity and patriotism, and testifying the importance of women.  

  The Federal government’s use of propaganda braced Canada in preparation for total war, and contributed to the war effort during World War Two. To illustrate, conscription had always been a dilemma for Mackenzie King, because total war necessitates conscription, which was undoubtedly an undesired outcome. Aside from the indignant French Canadians, skepticism was prevalent throughout Canada. To testify, in 1942, Arthur Meighen, the ninth prime minster of Canada, had advocated for over-sea conscription, and consequently lost his own seat in the English-occupied Toronto.[1] To solve the conundrum, Mackenzie utilized the famous propaganda slogan “not necessarily conscription but conscription if necessary”, which created “intentional vagueness” and proved to have dampened cynicism in Quebec, and led Canada through its most perilous crisis.  In other words, propaganda alleviated much of the anti-war sentiments, and helped to prevent the polarization of political and ethnic entities, as World War I had resulted in. Furthermore, propaganda had played a vital role in mobilizing the country and assisting with the enlistment and fundraising campaigns. Notably, the eleven Victory Bond campaigns conducted by the Wartime Information Board were proved to be a huge success in raising an astonishing $8 billion in support of the war, which also reveals the impact of propaganda on people’s value and aspirations.[2] To demonstrate, the devastating ten-year Depression had traumatized millions of Canadians at the time, and the economy had barely recovered from the calamity, as the unemployment rate was at a daunting 12 %.[3]  By demonizing Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, people felt the urgency of the war, thus becoming eager to contribute. Equally important was the propaganda’s effort in calling for enlistment. The government invested immensely in propaganda campaigns that were aimed to mobilize volunteers, which was vital especially in the latter stages of war. One million citizens would serve in the military during the war, and Canada would possess the fourth-largest air force and third-largest naval surface fleet in the world.[4] With a diminishing amount of new supplies of men due to the lack of enthusiasm and the gruesome battle reports, propaganda was proved essential to the dampening of reluctance towards enlistment. 

   Media censorship also played an important role in maintaining public morale and boosting Canadian nationalism. The most compelling evidence is the Terrace Mutiny that took place in British Columbia during 1942. In the fear of more uprisings, press coverage on the Terrace Mutiny was kept to a trifling, thus downplaying its significance in relation to the war.[5] This means that press censorship ensured secrecy of military activities, and in extreme cases, uprisings. If left unchecked, they could have induced even more commotions amongst the army and society which could have led to a drop in morale. Secondly, the Dieppe raid was prime example of how the outcome of war can be skewed to fit its propaganda purpose. The raid has always been controversial in its significance, execution, and necessity. Despite the continuing debate over Dieppe, historians unanimously that propaganda had played a major role.[6] The Combined Report, which contains all aspects of the censorship measures that were to take place in September 1942, stressed on creating confusion over the magnitude of Canadian contribution and emphasized on the “lesson-learned” ideology.[7] The aftermath of Dieppe revealed the importance of censorship in times of failure. Although nearly half of the Canadians who took part in the raid were either captured or went missing, the government successfully prevented potential riots similar to what Brian Borden had faced during World War One from occurring, especially in the French-occupied Quebec through the censorship of press. Ignorant of the calamitous outcome, the Canadians at the time embraced the raid as a source of national pride. Conversely, failure in the enforcement of censorship could be detrimental to the unity of Canada. Mackenzie King, in an attempt to maintain domestic political peace, allowed Canada’s Vichyist press, namely, Le Devoir, to engage in anti-Semitic and pro-fascist progandizing.[8] The decision, on the contrary to what King intended, further isolated Quebec from the rest of Canada, and remained a stain in the Canadian history. This clearly proves that the failure of the federal government to censor anti-nationalistic media breached national unity.

   In pressing women to contribute to the war effort, propaganda had made it clear that women would play an important role in society. With the depletion of men from home and with industries urging for more production, in order to attract young women into factories, propaganda embellished women by depicting them as unconcerned of vile working conditions and capable of doing strenuous work.[9] Moreover, the government propaganda stressed that the women would get high pay, which was important to a woman supporting a family. As a result, Women responded vigorously to the propaganda into the Selective Services.[10] They constituted more than 30% of the industrial workforce in Canada, and an unprecedented fifty thousand women served in the armed forces during World War Two.[11] This clearly proves that the use of propaganda was vital in pushing women to work, and consequently gave them the opportunity to testify that women can be just as competent as men. Furthermore, during the war, the government, for propaganda purposes, created individual heroines such as Rosie the Riveter – powerful and determined - who originated from the U.S. and later became a symbolic representation of working women in Canada.[12]  It was very important in the sense that it broke the stereotypes held against women, moving them into positions well outside of traditional roles.[13] As a result of their involvement in war and the need of the government to further attract women into the war industry, the women’s achievements were highlighted frequently in newspapers and magazines. Consequently, people were constantly reminded of their accomplishments through the press and radio. [14]

  Propaganda had helped Mackenzie King through the six of the most jeopardous years in Canadian history, and had benefited the society by alleviating the French-English conflict as well as promoting the importance of women during the war. However, it would be fallacious to state that propaganda is an immaculate tool. To quote from Jean Anouilh: “Propaganda is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way". Indeed, those who had lost family, who had to suffer for months waiting to hear the fate of the missing, certainly deserved more than apology and conciliation.[15]

---

[1] P. J. Philip, “Canada Hesitates Over Wider Draft,” New York Times, 09, September. 1942, http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/conscription_e.shtml (accessed 15 November. 2012).

[2] Hillman William G., “Canada WWII Propaganda Posters, As You Were, 1999, http://www. Airmuseum. Ca/postscan. html (accessed 14 November. 2012).

[3] James Struthers, “Great Depression”, The Canadian Encyclopedia, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/great-depression (accessed 16 November. 2012).

[4] Frank Doak, “World’s Fourth Largest Air Force?”, The Canadian Air force Journal, 3:119 (September 2009), http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/CFAWC/eLibrary/Journal/Vol3-2010/Iss1-Winter/Sections/08-Worlds_Fourth_Largest_Air_Force_e.pdf (accessed 13 November. 2012).

[5] Timothy John, The Information Front: The Canadian Army, Public Relations, and War

News during the Second World War (Washington: University of Victoria, 2009), 133.

[6] Timothy John, 137.

[7] Timothy John, 142.

[8] Mark Bourrie, The Fog of War (Vancouver: Douglas & MacIntyre, 2012), 109.

[9] Smith Rick, “Rosie the Riveter: Women Working During World War II”, National Park Service, 2004, http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/propaganda.htm (accessed 13 November. 2012).

[10] Doris Anderson, “Status of Women”, The Canadian Encyclopedia, http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/status-of-women (accessed 16 November. 2012).

[11] Norman Hillmer, “Life on the Home Front: Women and the War on the Home Front”, Democracy at War, Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War, 19 September. 2003, http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/women_e.shtml (accessed 14 November. 2012).

[12] Jessica Valenti, “Rosie the Riveter Leaves a Strong Legacy”, The Guardian, 3 January. 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/03/rosie-the-riveter-legacy (accessed 10 November. 2012).

[13] Hammond William, The Women’s Army Corps (the United States: Center of Military History), 27.

[14] “Invaluable Help Given By Women of Eastern Star”, The Hamilton Spectator, 12 December. 1941, http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/women_e.shtml (accessed 15 November. 2012).

[15] Timothy John, 112.