PROPAGANDA
Britain and Germany
Dear fatherland, put your mind at rest! (Dear fatherland, no fear be thine!)
We teach you how to run!
What is propaganda?
prop·a·gan·da (Noun):
Information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used
to promote or publicize a particular political cause or
point of view.
The dissemination of such information as a political
strategy.
Why was it used?
Promote patriotism
Promote nationalism
Promote beliefs
Increase army recruitment
Propaganda was not used solely for building
armies. It was used to support war and to
keep the society supportive of the government.
Where was it used?
Newspapers
Posters
Radio
Literature
Speeches and marches
Propaganda was used by a government in many
forms of media in order to communicate with its
people.
Propaganda in Britain
At the start of the war Britain owned a small,
professional army.
Britain did not have a policy for conscription.
She needed men.
Began sending out recruitment posters.
This was the beginning of Britain’s wartime
propaganda.
A recruitment poster
featuring Lord
Kitchener, who had
served the army since
1871. He was one of
the few individuals
who had predicted a
drawn-out war and
acted in accordance.
War Propaganda Bureau
Created in September, 1914, by Charles Mastermann
the War Propaganda Bureau of Britain had printed
over 2.5 million pamphlets, books, texts and speeches
in support of the Allies.
Before the war, there was no organization in charge
of circulating propaganda and it was demolished
after the war.
The Huns
During the war, British and American officers used the
derogatory term “Hun” to refer to the German army.
The origin of this term was in 1899-1900 when Kaiser Wilhelm
instructed the Germans in a speech, to behave like the Huns.
“Let the Germans strike fear into the hearts, so he'll be
feared like the Hun,"
Kaiser Wilhelm II
This term was used by the Allies in propaganda to suggest the
horrific crimes of the Germans and to portray them as savages.
British Focus on Belgium
The British needed an excuse to join the Great War and the perfect
opportunity arose when the Germans invaded Belgium.
To get the public on their side, the government issued many propaganda
posters informing the people of the Germans’ horrific crimes in Belgium.
They used this to manipulate people into believing that the Germans
were savages capable of terrible crimes. This publicity changed the
British view on Germany.
The focus of many of these posters was the crimes against women and
children.
Because women and children were seen as weaker and less capable, it
was effective in enraging the people.
A British poster from after the war
depicting the strong resentment
Britain had towards Germany going
into the Paris Peace Conference in
1919
Propaganda & Censorship In
Germany
Overall, Germany produced less propaganda articles
and posters than Britain or France.
The posters that did focused on Germany’s military
strength.
Did not allow any talk or support of ideas that
undermined Germany’s war effort.
Eased cooperation from the public with their new
harsh lifestyles.
Censorship
A great example of how the German’s censored their newspapers
can be seen in the following extract of a German article in
regards to the Battle of Ypres.
“In Flanders the British yesterday again attempted to regain
the ground they had lost. In the afternoon they attacked
from both sides but the attack completely broke down. An
evening attack further east failed, with severe British
losses.”
-1915
Bibliography
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