Britain and Germany

PROPAGANDA

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 manyforms of media in order to communicate with itspeople.

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

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