Etats-Unis

Scarce French propaganda map celebrating the United States’ entry into WWI.

French morale, especially among the troops, was at a low ebb in 1917. Disappointment from the Nivelle Offensive, widespread feelings of domestic pacifism and the loss of an important ally to the Russian Revolution all contributed to feelings of despair and hopelessness. Mutinies within the Army were nearly catastrophic. Adding to the hard feelings were the unrealistic expectations of the support offered by France’s new ally, the United States. Soldiers on the front expected to see American troops within weeks, and propaganda posters like this one only fueled their hopes for a swift end to the war.

The map shows an abstract United States and focuses on the vast quantities of resources and manpower that could be expected from its interior. Production centers of critical wartime assets like wheat, iron, cotton, and munitions are approximately labeled. Accessibility to these resources is highlighted by the Transcontinental Railroad, through which goods can travel from San Francisco to New York in just six days. From New York, it’s just a quick ten day trip across the Atlantic to France. After President Wilson’s declaration, “We are brothers in the same cause,” (reprinted at the top of the map) it’s easy to see how the French soldiers could be persuaded by this type of propaganda.