Subtitle: French Propaganda in America, 1900-1940
Author: Robert J. Young
Subject: European Studies/History/Communication
Cloth ISBN 0-8135-3377-5
Pages: 272 pp.
Description: How the French sought to influence American foreign policy in the early twentieth century

Praise for Marketing Marianne

"Through his sound scholarship and fluid writing, Young presents the first detailed look at how the French actually engaged in propaganda in the first half of the twentieth century."Michael Miller, professor of history, Syracuse University

Although historians have written extensively about propaganda during Napoleon IIIs 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 Americas sense of cultural inferiority when faced with Europes 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.

Robert J. Young is a professor of history at the University of Winnipeg and author of Under Siege: Portraits of Civilian Life in France during World War I and Power and Pleasure: Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic.