Sunday Sampler of Anti-War Ads

[write-light.livejournal.com]

World Peaceways (1930s pacifist/anti-war organization) produced some of the boldest propaganda posters of that era, largely aimed at looking at what had come about in the aftermath of the First World War, including the Depression, and death on a scale the world had not seen before, as well as lasting enmity that was quickly brewing into the Second World War.

The name "World Peaceways" was used in the famous Star Trek episode "City on the Edge of Forever" to represent the pacifist movement that Edith Keeler belonged to.  The story claimed that her peace work would keep America out of the war for too long and thus lead to Germany winning and taking over the United States. Kirk HAD to let her die - because if he saved her (as he apparently had) then all of history would change.



Full size (and very interesting and legible too): 1275x1600

Several others:











A quite interesting letterhead can be found HERE.

While kind of a "Debbie Downer" of the time, they did hold up the truth of war's effects on ordinary people in some truly striking (and for America, quite impressive) ads - back when we had an actual left wing element to our politics.  It's important to remember that this is not "post-war" - the milieu is entirely without awareness of what followed and what was "right" or "wrong" from OUR point of view. Most people adopt a more pragmatic "speak softly and carry a big stick" attitude - try not to fight but fight if you feel the cause is just.  For others, war is just endless death.

Comments

[cactuswren.livejournal.com]

Nope, sorry, I was mistaken -- not in the draft as printed. There was a mention in James Blish's narrative version: whether it was his own interpolation I don't know, but Blish had Edith Keeler's involvement in World Peaceways key to keeping the US out of the war.

(Harlan Ellison is still monumentally pissed about a lot of issues connected to that episode.)