indication of any military supplies in transit, only the carnage in the aftermath of the attack. Bodys are shown scattered throughout foreground water, civilians desperately cling to floating debris. While in the background, fires rage and black smoke pours from the vessel as the ship begins to sink into the ocean. The level of detail and realism here is key in conveying a sense of desperation to the viewer. Army propagandists were keen to use a sense of public anger at the incident to drive young men into recruitment offices. The accompanying text states “Avenge the Lusitania”, integrated but clearly defined due to the use of a bold outlined typeface, strong primary colours providing contrast.

“A new secret propaganda bureau was set up in Wellington house,London and under the direction of charles Masterman, a liberal politician and journalist, it undertook a campaign of unprecedented scale, designed to bring the americans into the war. Between 1914 and 1917 the bureau produced huge amounts of material – pamphlets, posters and articles, all of which was delivered through friendly american hands so that the american people were unaware of its real source” (C.Moore, 2010).

This is an important example of propaganda being used to manipulate world events. Without the efforts of British propagandists employed by the government it is unclear whether there would have been sufficient support amongst the American public to convince them to join the war effort as early as they did. As it was, the early American involvement did have a considerable impact on the direction of the war.

United States 1916-1938