| Communications valued and utilized during the 1914-1918 period of World War One were examined and analyzed. This included rhetorical approaches by Woodrow Wilson, his supporters, and opponents, in the growth of national and specific group feelings about social conditions preceeding and during involvement by the United States. The Progressive Movement was especially forceful throughout that time, in maintaining and modifying public opinions for and against military action.;The communication skills of such leaders as Wilson, his friends, and antagonists, that were effectively used to secure these changes in public attitudes, were examined for their significant contributions. Wilson, in all his various affairs, was adept at the effective use of slogans, phrases, metaphors, repetitions, and quotations, while providing related political economic, and social descriptions. Examples ranged from: "Too Proud to Right" to "A War to End All Wars", and "A War to Make the World Safe for Democracy".;Appealing to the needs and values of his audiences, his rhetoric of morality and religion was a powerful driving force, even including his hesitant acceptance of war. His ministerial style of communication was complementary to his missionary theme about the United States being a world mediator, and in his reference to World War One as "A people's war." Wilson's rhetorical posture possessed the qualities of persuasion, with its major components of ethos, pathos and logos. War-time rhetoric was expanded by the rise of publications, lectures, posters, motion pictures, and other media of publicity, aided by the official formation of George Creel's Committee on Public Information. Wilson approached the problem of communication techniques to fit several changed ideas under the aegis of unflagging morality.;Attitudes changed significantly from "No-war" to "Pro-war" to "No-war", successively adhering to programs of keeping out of war, preparedness activities, actual entrance into war, and finally a return to peace. These variations were largely due to the communicative powers of Wilson, Cabinet members, Congressmen, supporters of specific causes and journalists. Rhetorical, historical, socio-psychological and concomitant critical descriptions and evaluations of the period found significance in public utterances of prominent personalities. |
