AboutTom Expertise While it is a huge topic, I am well-versed in World War II generally. There is a huge wealth of information available on the internet, HOWEVER, one has to know the trash from the gems. Many sites which are not obviously credible (govt, university, and museum sites, for ex.), provide erroneous information (intentionally or otherwise).
Experience BA in history, and been reading and studying WW2 as my 'hobby' for 30 years. Regular contributor to several online forums in military history, WW2, and related areas and topics.
Organizations None relevant to this topic.
Education/Credentials BA, History (Secondary Education), with minor in Geography
US Army Engineer Officer (Officer Basic and Advanced Courses)
Question Hello...
I'm writing a college research paper about how the media affected the outcome of WWII. I've been having a lot of trouble finding articles and facts online. I'm also having an impossible shortage of books. Google supplies me only with posters and fliers and cartoons made in WWII. Googlescholar contains a lot of professional articles written about the subject which I can cite from but you need authorization to access them.
What do you think I should do?
What do think is the best way to write this research paper?
What resources can you provide me with?
What information can you give me on the subject?
Thank you very much
Answer This is an awesome subject, you have chosen well - in the sense of having an interesting subject matter. But as you are finding, there is a lot less about this than say Tiger Tanks!
Still, let me see what I can pull up.
A clarification is needed, first - you are writing about America, I am presuming, because if this is about any media, any nation, then you have almost the entire planet to consider (WW2 was almost universal).
A single suggestion for you may be obvious, but I'll throw it out anyway. This topic is actually touched on in a bazillion books, articles, movies and such - but it is not usually the FOCUS. That may make it more difficult to grasp and find, but media is everywhere.
A couple ideas and examples:
* Did you see the recent movie Flags of our Fathers? The focus of the movie was actually NOT about Iwo Jima battle, but on the use of those brave men to sell the war on the home front, to sell war bonds to pay for it, etc. It is based on the book of the same name - I know you can get that at library.
* Books from times back, such as Washington Goes to War have a lot of media mentions in them - selling war bond drives, propaganda posters, motivating the home front, and so on.
* When you are searching for this subject, you could consider focusing on other terms (and this is true in the library as well, in books and articles) - home front, propaganda, war bond drives, Rosie the Riveter, and so on.
I'm at okidutmsvaco@yahoo.com - ping me there, because I likely can't reach you again after I submit this answer.
Tom
