Art History Journal

First of all, what is propaganda? According to Wikipedia, “propaganda is aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people.” Propaganda may be used selectively, for example certain subjects may be show to specific audiences to encourage a particular response. It may also be used to shape perceptions and manipulate opinions.

The Chinese were very easily influenced by propaganda. The Chinese were discouraged to speak their mind and to voice their opinion. The government strongly influenced the citizens of China to keep their opinions to themselves. It makes it very easy for the government to selectively influence the Chinese, when they are taught they their opinion and thoughts do not matter.

When the People’s Republic was established in 1949, propaganda art was one of the major means to provide examples of correct behavior. Propaganda posters were cheaply and easily produced. They also became one of the most favored way to communicate for the Chinese. Many of the propaganda posters had slogans printed underneath and those were not paid attention to often. This allowed the political message of the posters to be passed around and read in an almost subconscious manner.

The two examples given are about the People’s Congress. A caption for the first one is, “we cheer the successful opening of the 4^th National People’s Congress.” The child in the poster holds a paper that reads: good news. In many of these posters there are small messages that may not be seen right away. These along with most posters are giving a message that is considered propaganda.