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There is a lot of information on the history of posters and poster design on the Internet, and some of them are listed here.

Posters by Artist Designers of the 1920s and 1930s

"The watchwords of social change in Britain are 'evolution not revolution' This has tended to emphasise continuity rather than radicalism and to make Britain appear, with hindsight at least, less exciting than her international neighbours. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the period following the First World War when, in contrast to the metallic machine modernism of Germany, France, the USSR and USA, Britain created an expansive garden suburb of half-timbered semis in Bromley, Surbiton, Watford and Letchworth. The new developments of suburbia were made possible by massive improvements in the road and rail transport infrastructure. Suddenly, it became possible, desirable even, to live in the clean and healthy open air and to travel to work on a daily basis."

http://www.artbookservices.com/articles/april97/Apr97_6.html

Two Types of Prints: Linocut and Poster

"The aftermath of the First World War was a period of enormous social change: the emancipation of women continued and 'homes fit for heroes' were constructed, in ever increasing numbers, around the metropolitan centres of Britain. The new democracy of 'Metroland' required all sorts of furnishings and decorations and these were provided by embracing the full potential of industrial production."

http://www.artbookservices.com/articles/dec96/dec12.html

The Art of Propaganda

"It's a safe bet that when James Montgomery Flagg designed his poster "Wake Up, America!" in 1917, he wasn't thinking of creating an investing opportunity. The immediate goal of his work, printed at the behest of the Mayor's Council of New York City, was to warn Americans about the perils of staying neutral in World War I. And this would be no one-of-a-kind work of art; the posters were put up all over the city. Today, a copy of "Wake Up, America!" costs as much as $7,000."

Taken from http://www.worth.com/articles/M9608A01.html, now a dead link.

Theories of National Culture
"The theoretical basis of nationality is not well developed, but it appears to be emerging that the concept of 'nation' is relatively recent, owing much to literacy and the written word, generalised by the invention of printing, and consolidated as a national market in an economic hinterland, in the context of developing capitalism."

http://www.iol.ie/~rjtechne/scihist/hista21.htm}

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