25 Astonishing Propaganda Posters

Many World War II posters promoted saving gas to aid the war effort.

This poster shows a sailor drowning because somebody gave away US secrets. There was a lot of paranoia during the World Wars regarding foreign spies.

This poster can be taken numerous ways, but the overarching message isn’t lost on the viewer.

You probably didn’t realize that cringeworthy war posters existed did you? Well, paired with Japanese internment camps…they certainly do.

And you thought your boss sent you on guilt trips?

This is the famous be-careful-who-you’re-talking-to poster.

No pressure guys. It’s just your manhood on the line. And you thought that bully in 3rd grade was demeaning?

Talk about a terrifying war poster…

Yet another poster imploring people to keep mum concerning the Allied war effort. Notice the claws on the Japanese soldier? Demonizing the enemy used to be a recurring theme when it came to war posters.

The Crucified Soldier was an atrocity propaganda story of an Allied soldier who was crucified by Nazi troops. It was later found to be contrived and was even used by the Germans as an example of Allied propaganda.

One of the ways the Allies used their propaganda machine was to enlist the help of ordinary citizens in collecting scrap metal for weapons.

Investing in war bonds was another common way that Allied governments promoted the war effort. Given the nature of the posters it should be no surprise that the US and Britain raised quite a bit of money via these bonds.

During war, it’s not uncommon for propaganda posters to demonize a certain nation only to quickly reverse course given the shifting nature of alliances.

The WAVES was the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, the women’s section of the Naval Reserve.

This is another poster aimed at factory workers and people back home. As you can tell, it tries to impress the importance of not producing faulty machinery or goods.

When the Japanese invaded the Aleutian islands, the Navy came out with this poster.

This poster is rather self explanatory. Quit riding solo!

Once again, you can see how the shifting alliances of war influenced propaganda posters.

During the World Wars, factories ended up being staffed predominantly by women.

Aaaaand…here’s your guilt trip. Bon voyage!

Yup, even Santa Claus got in on the action.

This is the British version of the wartime guilt trip poster.

This is the Australian version of the Japs-are-coming poster.

There is perhaps no war poster more iconic than this one.

During World War II, the British government deployed a motivational campaign to encourage Brits in keeping that “stiff upper lip.” It was so successful that even 70 years later people still quote it.