During World War II, anti-Nazi propaganda was used to help the United States during the war. Some specifically, to persuade Americans to conserve resources so they could be utilized in war. One propaganda poster states, “When you ride ALONE you ride with Hitler! Join a Car-Sharing Club TODAY!” It shows a picture of a man driving a car, and an outline of Hitler in the passenger seat. Weimer Pursell created it in 1943 to help conserve oil.
Although here it seems the United States was extremely involved in the war, it did not start out that way. America was referred to as isolationists, as they did not want to get involved in international affairs, according to America: A Narrative History[1] In Germany, Italy, and Japan, there were fascist dictators, and President Roosevelt did not want to get involved. Fascism is a radical government that controls every aspect of the country. Roosevelt did agree to “offer all possible assistance to Great Britain, France and China,” American citizens were split between isolationists and interventionists, those who wanted to get involved in war and those who did not. Once Japan attacked the U.S Military base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, the country was forced into another world war. An issue they were faced with was a shortage of supplies including gasoline.
At the same time as World War II, owning cars and driving became very mainstream. Sarah Frohardt-Lane, the author of Promoting a Culture of Driving: Rationing, Car Sharing, and Propaganda in World War II, states “At first glance, propaganda that implored Americans to alter their driving habits during World War II appears to undercut the importance of driving to Americans’ daily lives.”[2] During this time, many people found the ability to drive to be free and independent, so having this freedom taken away most likely angered many Americans. The reality of it was, the government just wanted people to change the way they drive in order to help the war effort, by rationing gasoline. This included a speed limit and car sharing. It did influence the driving culture at the time as it put a halt to the popularity of cars. Propaganda convinced Americans that if they did not ration gasoline, they were siding with Hitler.
As citizens began to change their way of living through car sharing, the saved gasoline is used for automobiles on the battlefield. The Jeep played a significant role during World War II. Lance Cole, author of The Jeep: Second World War, stated, “The Jeep was the first true, mass-produced four-wheel-drive multi-purpose vehicle,”[3] Gasoline was not the only thing rationed, as The Food Rationing Program was also present. According to John Wright, the author of The Second World War and the Americas 1933-45, “The Food Rationing Program was introduced in the spring of 1942… Coupons were needed to buy goods such as meat, cheese, butter, sugar, milk, coffee and canned goods,”[4] Rationing also led to the black market. This was how people would secretly purchase goods that they would not be able to through the program.
The “Ride with Hitler” propaganda poster shows that during this period it was important for American citizens to work together to support the US military because otherwise they would be supporting Hitler. The man in the driver seat is a white male, wearing a suit and a hat, displaying the typical consumer of a car during this time. The words “alone” and “today” are capitalized for emphasis, along with the use of exclamation points. The outline of Hitler also portrays how serious the government was about rationing, as they truly believe not joining a car sharing club is going against the country.
[1] Shi, David Emory. America: a Narrative History. W.W. Norton & Company, 2019, 1055 November 9, 2020
[2] Frohardt-Lane, Sarah. “Promoting a Culture of Driving: Rationing, Car Sharing, and Propaganda in World War II.” Journal of American Studies 46, no. 2 (2012): 337-55. Accessed November 2, 2020. doi:10.2307/23259140.
[3] Cole, Lance. The Jeep : Second World War. Land Craft. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Military, 2019. November 2, 2020
[4] Wright, John. The Second World War and the Americas 1933-45. Access to History for the IB Diploma. London: Hodder Education Group, 2013. November 2, 2020