V for Victory Campaign Sign

The "V for Victory" campaign was a World War II propaganda initiative that used the letter "V" as a symbol of resistance against Nazi Germany and Allied victory. This campaign originated from Victor de Laveleye, a Belgian WWI veteran, three-time Olympian, president of the Liberal Party, Liberal member of the Belgian parliament, and minister of justice. When the German army marched into Belgium in May 1940, he was quickly cast aside as his government was replaced with Nazi Party members. Fearing he would be arrested for his progressive beliefs and political activism, de Laveleye fled Belgium shortly after the occupation began, making his way to London in July 1940. In the UK, where he was asked to head the Belgian division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

While inside of a bomb shelter in January 1941, he came up with the idea of the “V” system, it was perfect, as the French word of victoire meant victor and the Flemish word of Vryheid meant freedom. On January 14, 1941, he made a short broadcast to people of occupied Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and North Africa to resist the Nazi regime and told them to chalk the letter V on buildings and on the streets, and to paint it wherever they could. From there they took off like wildfire. There were reports that Vs were everywhere, marking every street and building in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Noticing the success of the campaign, the BBC began to announce the “V for Victory” campaign in several languages

When the US joined the war in December 1941, the V for Victory slogan was adopted and put to use in devising defense programs and propaganda campaigns. As recruitment ramped up, posters were made with the V, encouraging young men to become Marines, to encourage workers to “increase production” through “non-stop work.”, buy defensive stamps, war and bonds (which this poster on display here depicts), and etc. A similar campaign, the “Double V Campaign” was also started by Black Americans during the war, as during this time they did not have equality of opportunity nor full civil liberties. The idea for the campaign originated from a letter written by James G. Thompson of Wichita, Kansas, in which he wrote a letter to the Pittsburgh Courier, on the need for equal treatment alongside military service. The campaign essentially boils down to one “V” standing for victory against the Axis powers abroad and the other “V” to address the systemic racism and segregation at home. This campaign also helped to stimulate the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and 1960s.