Propaganda and the Second World War

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Topic spans: 1941 - 1982

Propaganda and the Second World War

"Buy Victory Bonds!" Spread war-related rumours and you risk becoming "one of Hitler's Little Helpers." Ladies, join the army and you'll be "the proudest girl in the world!" Persuasive messages like these were everywhere during the Second World War, including on CBC Radio and Canadian movie screens. Indeed, wartime propaganda wasn't just the domain of Nazi Germany — Canada too created films, radio dramas and posters aimed at convincing citizens to join the military or help out on the home front. CBC Digital Archives presents a collection of Canadian wartime propaganda, plus several radio and TV clips about Second World War propaganda in general.

6 television clips

8 radio clips

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Carry On Canada! Canadians urged to boost war effort

Broadcast Date: Aug. 31, 1941

It starts off as a casual conversation about politics. But by the end of the conversation, both men are convinced: it's time to join the army. "I guess we better swing into line," concedes one of the men in this short radio skit. This dramatized chat is part of the 1941 CBC program Carry On Canada, a weekly show aimed at persuading Canadians to help with the war effort. This episode also includes "a call to every Canadian housewife" to collect unused aluminum and donate it to "your government for war purposes."

Carry On Canada! Canadians urged to boost war effort

• Carry On Canada was produced in co-operation with the Canadian government's office of public information.

• During the Second World War, the Canadian government held "scrap metal drives" in order to collect aluminum to be used by the aircraft industry. The government asked households to donate aluminum items that they weren't using anymore, but many conscientious Canadian housewives donated perfectly good aluminum cookware to the cause.

Carry On Canada! Canadians urged to boost war effort

Medium: Radio

Program: Carry On Canada

Broadcast Date: Aug. 31, 1941

Announcer: James Layton Ralston

Duration: 15:03

Last updated:
Feb. 11, 2010

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