About 80 years ago, the United States and the world went through one of the most significant and traumatic periods of recent human history. World War II started in September of 1939, when Hitler and Germany launched an unprovoked attack on Poland, effectively starting the second World War. This left many people shocked and confused about what was going to happen and how this conflict was going to end. Such polarizing conditions left people on both sides of the conflict fearing the future and what may happen. This situation made it much easier for people to be convinced to comply with commands, if they thought it would help support their country or more importantly protect them from any potential danger. The United States government took advantage of this kairotic situation by creating and distributing propaganda with the goal of convincing people to support their country with some action. These pieces of propaganda employ pathos and logos in order to be more successful in their intended task. During World War II, the United States government embraced and took advantage of commonplaces regarding Hitler and Germany by utilizing propaganda posters in order to gain support from the American public.

The first piece of propaganda put out by the United States government is a poster that says “When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler! Join a car sharing club today!” This statement is joined by a picture of a man driving a car with a ghost like figure of Hitler sitting in the passenger seat. The main purpose of this ad was to get people to conserve gasoline by carpooling with others instead of driving your own car. This gas could then be used directly in the war efforts. The immediate effect, especially when analyzing this poster many years later, is almost comedic. It seems ridiculous that if you don’t comply with a simple task, Adolf Hitler will be riding shotgun in your car unbeknownst to you. Nevertheless, this poster employs several rhetorical strategies that make it effective. 

Initially, the propaganda creates an appeal by using logos. Logically, it makes sense that if all the citizens chose to help save gas, it would help the United States in the war effort. Conversely, if they chose not to help save gas, they would theoretically helping Hitler, no matter how insignificantly or immeasurably. However, the main rhetoric argument is made through the use of pathos. The intent of the propaganda is to speak to the audience’s emotions. Even more specifically, the main emotion used as motivation is fear. The image of Hitler as a ghost in the car is already enough to cause general uneasiness upon seeing it. Additionally, it appears that the man is completely unaware that Hitler is in the car with him. This is especially fearful because it shows that you could be “riding with Hitler” without even knowing it. The idea of being oblivious or not being aware of someone so feared is also frightening. If Hitler could be in your car, maybe he could also be at your job, in your home, anywhere. This poster also gives the idea that not carpooling would essentially be the same as making a conscious decision to support Hitler and his cause. This is motivating due to the polarizing ideas introduced by Hitler and the massive stigma associated with the Nazis. 

One significant commonplace at the time was a very widespread fear of Hitler and Germany in general. The vast majority of US citizens were scared of Hitler and what he stood for. Even though he was thousands of miles away, he still had a strangle on people’s emotions. Just the possibility of a threat is enough to strike fear into the hearts of many. While fear in general is not uncommon in any way, this situation is unique due to the ubiquitous nature of this particular threat. The kairotic situation created somewhat of a common enemy for most of the population of the United States and arguably the globe. Rhetorically, this situation allows for very strong and universal argument to be made very successfully. The government recognized this and used the kairotic situation that was World War II in order to gain support from the American public. While conserving a little gas seems insignificant, across the millions of people that live in the US, it combines to be very significant. It also proves that the kairotic situation allowed for a large number of people to be united to complete a single task. Usually, it is very difficult to find a topic that so many people can agree on. Yet, the fear brought on by the propaganda and actions of Hitler and Germany created the perfect rhetoric environment for such an occurrence to take place.

While the United States government certainly did not support or condone the actions of Hitler and Germany in any way, the propaganda that was put out had the intent of emphasizing and exacerbating the threat brought on by the Nazis. Many of the propaganda put out by the government showed startling images meant to portray Hitler as evil as possible, in order to further gain the support of the public. If they believe the force their country is fighting is supremely wicked and immoral, they are certainly more likely to support such a fight. Another piece of propaganda displays the text “Don’t kid yourself… it’s up to you STOP HIM! Our work will win or lose this war.” Also shown is a harsh and menacing photo of Hitler glaring and holding a large knife. With this picture, the government is clearly trying to convince citizens that Hitler is a monster that needs to be stopped. The picture is meant to terrify and strengthen the commonplace that Hitler is a menace and must be stopped at all costs. 

Another noteworthy attribute of the poster is the commands stated in the caption. Similar to the first piece of propaganda, this one seems to put the responsibility into the hands of those reading the poster. By saying “it’s up to you,” the government hopes to make average people feel as if it is their job to beat Hitler, and that they should do all that they can do to complete this task. The poster also states, “Our work will win or lose this war.” This statement works in several ways rhetorically. First, by using the word our, the speaker hopes to further unite the audience both with themselves and with the government. A united front will almost certainly perform better than a fractured one. The other rhetoric strategy employed by the poster is used with the statement “win or lose this war.” This is meant to help the audience visualize the end goal for this conflict. Obviously, all American citizens would like to win the war, but what this phrase does is force the reader to consider the consequences if they in fact lose the war. This is yet another appeal to pathos, bringing fear to the American citizens with the hope of motivating them to support such an immense cause. This propaganda reminds the audience what they are up against and why they should support the fight at all.

These two propaganda posters from World War II use similar commonplaces in order to pit the public against Hitler and gain support from a united American front. These posters cunningly put the war in the hands of the people, making them believe that the little things they do would have a serious impact on the total war efforts. People believed they could support their country in this time of need because it was their civic duty to do anything they could. The posters also took the enemy and made it seem as intimidating and alarming as possible, with the goal of furthering the support for the fight against such a monster. Each poster and each piece of propaganda supports the other, furthering the commonplaces, supporting the fight against the Nazis, and expanding the already widespread hatred and fear of Hitler.