The Great War: The War that Brought the World Together in All the Worst Ways
Colin Nashelsky
Growing up hearing and reading about the first world war and seeing the Imperial War Museum were two very different experiences. The World War I exhibit had historical relics of a not-too-distant past ranging from the new weapons that changed what it meant to fight a “just war” to everyday items of the people in Britain who falsely believed the war would be a quick and painless one. However, what I found to be one of the most interesting parts of the exhibit were the many different propaganda posters that give me a sense of what the people during the war felt about and what would be best to motivate people to enlist in the army or help out back home. Specifically, it was the poster below that reminded me just how much of the world was involved in this war and the effects imperialism had throughout the war.
The poster was used to influence the colonies under British imperial control to help join the war effort. With Britain itself being a small country on its own, the ability to call upon men and resources from across the whole world to support them was a massive benefit in the war. In class that week we discussed how imperialism was one of the major factors that lead to the war starting in the first place but looking at this poster made me realize how imperialism was also a major factor during the war itself. In terms of design, the poster shows the older lion above the other younger lions representing how Britain viewed itself above its colonies. The lions also help symbolize how Britain views itself as a proud country showing another of the main factors leading to the war, nationalism, and how it helped every nation fighting feel that they were the one’s fighting on the “right” side of the war. Despite the sense of superiority this poster portrays, it does state how Britain “NEEDS MEN!” and does state that it is with the help of his colonies that Britain “defies his Foes.” This war may have started in Europe, but its influence and impact made it so that hardly any corner of the planet was able to stay out of it.
This message calling for help from overseas was certainly effective in getting colonists to help fight against Britain’s enemies. The description next to the poster stated how while some colonies fought due to their British ancestry making them believe they had a duty to fight, others such as India fought to show Britain what they could do and try to argue for their freedom. This helped show that while the world was brought together in fighting this war, not everyone was fighting for the same reason. However, as the description states: “When Britain went to war, so too did its empire” and this poster was created to inspire the men of that empire no matter what part of that empire they were from to come together and fight in what the museum would show to be one of the bloodiest conflicts in human history in a way no textbook could truly capture.
