World War I was also known as the Great War, the war to end all wars. It was fought over the course of four years from 1914 through 1918. Factors including militarism, imperialism, nationalism, alliances, and assassinations truly shaped the twentieth century. The citizens of America during this time responded back with propaganda; the goal of this was to spread information widely and quickly across the nation to sway civilian opinion. The art world inspired Americans to fight for their country during this tragic war; the government supported and publicized propaganda. During WWI the art world was altered from a utopian world to a state of crisis and chaos it depicted the tragedies that occurred during the war. Many artists such as Picasso painted various figures of mangled bodies. These paintings gave the people a sense of the reality of what this war had become. They saw the corruption and animosity that exuded from the war through the art. Not only paintings, but other forms of art such as music and literature were transformed during and after this era. The war changed the purposes of people’s art. It was seen in propaganda, drawings, music, paintings, and other forms during and after the war to show the tragedies and realities that the war had caused.
The Great War began on July 28, 1914, and ended on November 11, 1918. The war took place in Europe, Mideast, Africa, Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Sea, and Baltic sea. There were two sides including the allied powers and the central powers. Overall, the allied powers were victorious. There were twenty-two million allied powers casualties, and thirty- seven and a half million central powers casualties. The results of this war were the ending of the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian empires. In addition to this, the borders of Europe and the Mideast were redrawn. The main causes of World War I happened between June 28th and August 24th. On June 28, 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Archduke and Heir, Francis Ferdinand was assassinated. On July 23, 1914, Austria issued an ultimatum to Serbia and invaded on July 27. From July 28th through the 30th the Russians assembled as Serbia’s ally. Germany, Austria-Hungary’s ally, declares war on Russia and Serbia on August 1st. Germany declared war on France and invaded Belgium on August 3rd. Lastly, on August 4th, Great Britain declared war on Germany (Historynet.com).
Throughout the years 1914-1918, the art world responded with many tactics to reach their people. Art was a huge influence; the patriotic feeling of nationalism inspired people to fight for their country. Even women were getting in on the action; women were recruited into performing jobs that previously men had to do. Art was used to reveal the horrors going on during the war. World War I was one of the most destructive conflicts; the total number of military and civilian casualties amounts to about thirty-seven million people. The many tragedies that took place during the war were displayed through art.
During World War I, propaganda was used; it shaped international opinion. Pamphlets, books, cartoons, press reportings, and artwork was an influence. Propaganda traveled through Germany into America. Germany’s determination to spread their culture throughout the United States revolved around their publications. “The War Plotters of Wall Street, published in 1915, is an example of this type of propaganda. It tells of a plot by unscrupulous financiers to draw the USA into a war which would be against its own interests and ruinous to its economy. The book warned Americans against financial support for Britain, arguing that loans would never be repaid” (Propaganda as a weapon). Taking this information into account, the Americans were infuriated. This prompted them to not support Britain because they did not want to jeopardize being paid back. British propaganda showed that they were not afraid of war. For example, they created a postcard with the British flag and several Bulldogs on it. The Britain bulldog is in the center of the flag looking as though it is dominant. Britain, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa are represented as united against a common threat (Propaganda as a weapon).