Marketing Marianne: French Propaganda in America, 1900-1940

Although historians have written extensively about propaganda during Napoleon III’s regime and Vichy, they have virtually ignored the Third Republic. Focusing on Third Republic policies, Marketing Marianne examines how the French sought to influence American foreign policy in the early twentieth century. Robert J. Young argues that the French used subtle but effective means to sway U.S. policy in Europe. He examines French propaganda efforts and the methods of the French Foreign Ministry, always highlighting the wider cultural and social context of Franco-American relations. French propagandists believed that the steady promotion of their nation as the cultural capital of the world was the best way to foster goodwill among Americans. They slowly recognized the important role that the United States played in maintaining the balance of power in Europe. Young argues that the French deliberately exploited America’s sense of cultural inferiority when faced with Europe’s rich heritage. He also reveals how the rise of new technologies and modern forms of government in France encouraged the development of more sophisticated forms of propaganda.