Recruitment Lesson starter: Look at the poster on the right. What message is this poster trying to show?

Task One You will see a number of recruitment posters from around 1914 You must write down the message the poster is attempting to give to young men ‘Uncle Sam’ was designed to speak to US men in the same way Kitchener did

Example This poster is trying to show that Kitchener and Britain need whoever is looking at the poster. It is trying to show that it is every man’s duty to fight for his country.

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Why were recruitment posters important? They appealed to a man’s conscience (made them feel guilty) They promised a great adventure They made men feel a sense of duty to King and country

Other important factors War and fighting was seen as glorious and exciting To secure a decent wage or escape a boring job Propaganda made Germany look savage (eg. In Belgium) Pressure from friends/ relatives People expected a short war – ‘over by Christmas’ – and didn’t want to miss out Treatment of non soldiers – white feathers etc Pressure at public events – football matches, town fetes etc Newspapers only showed war as positive – encouraged signing up Men could join up as ‘pals battalions’ – fight with friends

Bradford Pals Battalion

Today we will… Understand why recruitment posters encouraged men to join up Identify other reasons for men joining up