Cold War Propaganda Analysis

Cold War Propaganda: Different in Medium and Message

The whistle of dropping atomic bombs, the flash of nuclear explosion, the nightmare of Red boots marching across American soil. These are the horrors that Cold War American propaganda planted in the minds of the public. Through the use of posters, films, pamphlets, and a variety of other mediums, the U.S. government has always had an interest in the adherence of the general populace to perceived American values. This is most important during times of stress for the nation, such as war or international tension. Or as put by Professor of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins, Paul Linebarger, “Propaganda consists of the planned use of any form of public of mass-produced communication designed

“Is This Tomorrow [sic]” questions the viewer of this hellish cold war propaganda poster about their future. This 1947 poster sports flames that lick up at the aforementioned words as the American flag burns in the background. However, even more visually striking is the scene in the foreground of the poster, with a depiction of what appears to be Soviet soldiers murdering two American Soldiers and raping a third woman. A banner beneath this reads: America under communism! This presents the message of the poster; that a dystopic future awaits the American public if they allow their nation to succumb to the pressures of Soviet communism. However, it should be noted that this poster was not actually produced by the American government but rather by a catechetical

With the emergence of nuclear weapons, and the threat of atomic annihilation becoming a real outcome of war for the first time, the American public was understandably nervous. In 1950, 61 percent of those polled thought that the United States should use the atom bomb if there was another world war, and 53 percent believed there was a good or fair chance that their community would be bombed in the next war, further nearly three-fourths assumed that American cities would be bombed with atomic weapons. By 1956, nearly two-thirds of those polled believed that in the event of another war that the hydrogen bomb would be used against the United States. American politicians of the age fed off of this fear, and many used it to great effect in their