Propaganda, 1898–1945
With the notable exception of Pearl Harbor, the United States was neither invaded, attacked nor seriously threatened between 1898 and 1945. Yet during that time Americans sent their troops to fight and die in all corners of the world. Without the immediate threat of invading armies or imminent danger, the American people needed to be convinced that the sacrifice of so many men and women was justified. Therefore, during the Spanish-American War of 1898, World War I, and World War II the U.S. government, along with elements of the private sector, waged its own war for the American mind. These propaganda messages helped unify the country during wartime and also helped define the meaning of U.S. intervention in each war.
Spanish-American War of 1898
Although public officials and eminent figures cited a variety of reasons for America's intervention in Cuba in 1898, newspapers were responsible for the most notorious propaganda during the Spanish-American War. Socalled "Yellow press" journalists convinced millions of the need for U.S. intervention by highlighting the barbarity of Spain's colonial rule and the humanitarian obligation to alleviate the suffering of the Cuban people.
The Cuban revolt against Spanish colonial rule in 1895 occurred at a time when America's leading newspapers were locked in a battle for preeminence.
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