Government Wartime Propaganda Posters: Communicators of Public Policy

This article examines government propaganda posters of World War II as vehicles of communication from the perspectives of social psychology, us versus them propaganda techniques, and twentieth century theories of semiotics. This article also discusses the symbols used in these posters from the perspective of art as a social utility and Robert Cialdini's tendencies of human behavior. The article concludes with an examination of propaganda posters in light of narratology and the critical theories of semiotics, in particular, the writings and theories of Roland Barthes.