Wartime Propaganda In World War example essay topic

Propaganda effects of World War During the early 1900's a new era of warfare emerged as governments began to employ all economic, technological and psychological resources available to defeat their enemies. This concept of Total War altered the direction of humanity and governments understanding in their allocation of resources. This essay will examine the relationship between propaganda used during World War I, its effect on the masses and the absolutely essential need for the success of such campaigns in obtaining military victory. While leaflet propaganda used during the war will be the main focus, considerations will be given to other forms to illuminate the necessity of understanding and utilizing the tools of this very powerful weapon. During World War I, propaganda was widespread in most countries.

Propaganda took on many forms and the primary function was to reinforce to the citizens of a nation that war was intrinsically heroic, and conversely to destroy the morale of the enemy. The actual business of physical injury had added the more subtle process of slaughter of morale, a far more difficult, but none the less effective, method of warfare. The Germans have for a long time preached it. They practiced it from the first, 'frightfulness' being merely the German interpretation of the theory of the destruction of morale. Bernhardi lays as much stress upon it as upon perfection of maneuver. The Allies, perhaps keener students of psychology, substituted persuasion for brutality, and developed a system of military propaganda that has never before been equaled.

Historians generally refer to WWI as the first 'total war'. It was the first conflict in which modern industrialized societies mobilized their complete economic, technological and psychological resources in order to wage war. Unlike earlier wars, which involved relatively small numbers of soldiers on the battlefield, it affected many aspects of the lives of civilian populations and demanded enormous sacrifices and support from them. Mobilization of the home front was crucial to achieving military victory. Some of the main aspects of Total War include conscription of men into the armed services, increased government control of the economy and daily lives of citizens and subsequent loss of personal liberty. Control of the labor force, physical safety and security of civilian populations threatened are involved and of course, propaganda used to create support for the war and encourage acceptance of the necessity of personal sacrifice.

Censorship of bad news about the war in newspapers and magazines to maintain morale and support for the war effort was also vital to this new age of waging war. It must be emphasized that the ultimate object of propaganda in war is the destruction of enemy morale, and its corollary, the strengthening of friendly morale. "It consists of the dissemination of ideas, designed to react in different ways upon their various recipients. The enemy must be made to feel that his cause is hopeless from the start, has no chance of ultimate success, and is based upon delusive ideals". It is usually impossible to convince the responsible organizations of the hostile nation, such as the government or the army, though it may be advantageous to hinder them in their decisions. But it is comparatively easy to influence the rank and file, civilian as well as military, and to produce an atmosphere of hopelessness fatal to success.

Also, the general public of neutral nations must be supplied with the arguments of victory and of a just cause, followed by a cautious relay of every success, great or small, and by brilliant descriptions of the spirit that animates the troops. The neutral countries and individuals, especially when weak and "necessarily somewhat at the mercy of the side that eventually proves victorious, is naturally disposed to sit on the fence and lean towards the side that he imagines to be winning". (Doob, 34) Finally allied, friendly nations and even the violating nation itself must be kept in good spirits by emphasizing the justice of their cause, the magnificent bearing of their troops, and the demoralization of the enemy. Any contradictions must be explained and shown to be only temporary. Information of each success must be widely spread and its meaning made clear to the general populous. The list of examples of such instances is quite exhaustive so the focus of this analysis will remain on the processes rather than the specifics of any one example.

Propaganda is the "organization of ideas that will serve some cause, and disseminate the ideas and information for the purpose of inducing or intensifying specific attitudes and actions". Because propaganda is frequently accompanied by distortions of fact and by appeals to emotion and prejudice, it is often thought to be "invariably false or misleading. This view is relative, however. ' Although some propagandists may intentionally distort fact, others may present it faithfully as objective observers. A lawyer's brief is as much propaganda as a billboard advertisement. "The essential distinction lies in the intentions of the propagandist to persuade an audience to adopt the attitude or action he or she espouses".

(Doob, 35) At the time of the war, propaganda changed the views of many people's way of thinking. Propaganda originated before the war, and as a result, this media changed the views of people during the war and. any types of propaganda were used to justify it. One example of a different kind of propaganda would be religious propaganda. One of the earliest uses of propaganda was related to religious missionary activity. A noteworthy propagandist was the apostle Paul, who established the first Christian churches in Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy. In the 17th century, with the help of propaganda, the Jesuits were able to gain back large areas of central Europe that were lost during the Reformation.

Another form of propaganda is political propaganda, which is also quite old. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, which was an example of rational propaganda that was intended to 'solidify communal opinion at home and justify the debatable American cause at large. ' Throughout history then, there were many forms of propaganda used during wars that were to strengthen support for the conflict. With the help of many propagandists it was, and remains possible to make citizens think highly of war. Literary propaganda was important during the World Wars, as pamphlets, history, novels, posters, speeches, influenced many people's opinions. Many classic novels were written with a propagandist's intent, including much philosophy, history, religion, economics, novels, poems, and plays.

Some examples of these would be Histories of French by Voltaire, The Pamphlets of Martin Luther, and the work of Karl Marx. Uncle Tom's Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is an excellent example of a propaganda novel. Other forms of propaganda would include television and the manufacturing of news by staged events. Larger businesses and commercial interests, such as railroads and oil companies, have used propaganda through advertising to gain public support. There are many forms of propaganda, but the most effective in World War I was military propaganda, primarily in leaflet form. Much of the wartime propaganda in World War I was aimed in campaigns trying to win the popular votes of uncommitted people.

According to Michael Copeland, the United States was fighting for "land, victory, and peace". (Copeland, 51) The propagandists used as much as they possibly could to prove to the people domestically that war was a necessarily good thing. Through the evaluation of public ideals and the directions in which the government intends to head, narrowly focused and well-timed information dissemination can lead to desired behavioral changes. Adopted almost simultaneously by all the Allies, was the production of leaflets, and other matter, written in simple German that could be understood by the least educated. These leaflets were intended for direct distribution in and behind the enemy lines, and they introduced the problem of how most effectively to scatter them. A shell, to secure its maximum effect, should burst in the centre of a group of men; propaganda leaflets, on the contrary, should be dispersed as widely as possible, and should arrive within the grasp of the lonely sentry, free from the influence of his compatriots, and with nothing else to divert his thoughts.

Once propaganda has secured even the slightest mistrust of the beliefs that it combats, its task is more than half accomplished. Both the Allied Powers and the Central Empires experimented with propaganda projectiles, using the trench mortar as their means of projection... It was not long before the trench mortar, as a projector of propaganda, was abandoned in favor of the airplane. First of all the airplane represented a far lesser risk to the recipients as the agent of delivery was not visibly lethal as a shell that might explode with pamphlets inside. Second the agent of delivery was unseen and the penetration of material reached much further than with projectile methods. The idea being that in order to bring about the desired changes in attitude and action, they would be able to hit specific locations where individuals would be most vulnerable, for example along enemy trenches and rail lines.

It was argued that if a plane were to be sent on a flight over hostile territory, its capabilities would be better employed dropping bombs than propaganda. In any event, it was felt that the airplane was too valuable a fighting machine to be employed as a disseminator of leaflets. The next idea was the employment of observation balloons, which were to carry a supply of pamphlets to be thrown overboard when the wind was blowing towards the enemy lines. Apart from the fact that the occupants of the balloon were usually too busy with their proper function of observation to worry much about casting packets of paper into space, the observation balloon had many disadvantages. Late in 1916 the free balloon was seriously considered as a vehicle of propaganda. The idea had always been obvious, load a balloon with the leaflets it was intended to distribute, send it up with a favorable wind, and there you were.

The difficulty lay in predicting within a thousand miles or so where the balloon would come down. Developments were made with various timing mechanisms and an equation to judge the direction of a balloons path, making its use much more effective. The featured task of the Allied propagandist during the war was, naturally, to produce depression and instability in the enemy camp. The aim of propaganda within the enemy lines is directly and indirectly to produce discouragement, in preparation of an attack by arms. The farther the influence can be made to extend into the hostile country the better. To produce discouragement among the troops themselves is certainly the first step towards success, but this can rarely be effective if the country behind them supports them enthusiastically.

A man is always more prone to listen to the encouragement of his friend than to the threats of his enemy. But once the civilian population becomes discouraged, the infection travels rapidly to the troops. "Experience has shown that nothing is more destructive to the morale of an army than a stream of despondent letters from friends and relatives at home". Of those districts invaded during the war, the most far reaching propaganda leaflet was that unique periodical, Le Courrier de l'Air.

Early in 1916, the British War Office realized the might of the propaganda weapon, and sought to find the personnel within to create it. A branch of the Directorate of Military Intelligence was created, and known as M.I. 7. b. An Army Order was issued, inviting those officers and men who had previous literary experience to communicate with the new organization. An early function of M.I. 7. b. was the establishment of Le Courrier de l'Air. The needs of the invaded districts had long been felt, and it was realized that a newspaper of Allied tendencies, aerially distributed, was the best way to meet that need. After much discussion, the first number of The Courrier, as it came to be called, was produced, in the form of a single sheet, some eight inches by six.

It was a historical production, destined to be the first regular aerial newspaper of the world. It bears the date of April 6, 1917, and carries in its leading column an exhortation that most admirably sets out its aims and scope. A nos Lecteur's, it is headed, with a sub-heading MM. les Patriots Martyr is " es! But, perhaps, it is better translated. ' This weekly paper will be distributed every week by Allied airplanes among our brave Belgian and French friends living in the unhappy territory now in the occupation of the enemy. It has for its sole object the dissemination of the truth about the war.

To you, who have so greatly suffered for your country, truth can only bring the assurance that the day of deliverance is at hand. Be sure, my friends, that here you will find nothing but the truth. I, who fall from the skies, have no idea of deceiving you, as the Bosch e deceives his own people, with fine promises and with vain hopes, false dreams that can never come true. On the contrary, if I seem optimistic it is because at the present time every event, military or political assures me that the fortunes of Germany are on the wane. The whole world, from China to the United States, arms itself against the barbarous enemy of civilization. Might is powerless before Right.

Truth triumphs over lies". (Field, 136) The motto of the Courrier de l'Air will always be: Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth! This translation plainly depicts the British understanding of the power of effective propaganda. This circulation encompasses the essential characteristics of successful persuasive propaganda as evaluated and written by Larson. This first The Courrier leaflet, consistent with subsequent issues was directed to the masses to be sure, by virtue of its nature.

However the message is not so large as to ignore the individual, and the importance of their individual, emotional involvement. "suffered for your country... truth can only bring the assurance that the day of deliverance is at hand... Germany on the Wane... Truth over lies". Statements such as these are issued to plant the seeds of hope in the minds of the invaded peoples. It allows them to rally around a vision of an outside world working to help their cause. The messages in this early publication were very carefully planned by allied government in relationship to language, location, audience and overall conveyance.

Having the intended message clearly defined and carefully planned were all essential contributors to the success of propaganda campaigns such as the Courrier. The message was then repeated over and again from new weekly leaflet droppings and primarily, as was the plan, from person to person. Through the one-sided nature of the arguments presented for the allied cause and against the German, the propagandists hoped that the intended truth would be deduced by attempting to build credibility, as evidenced by the 'optimist' in the above example. There was also persuasive work to be done domestically in allied nations equal in importance to information perceived abroad. Lloyd George, who was appointed head of the War Propaganda Agency (WPA) in 1914, created the Department of Information in January 1917 to better coordinate propaganda.

"The Press consistently encouraged support for the war effort. Newspapers reflected and manipulated public opinion which was hostile to aliens, pacifists, conscientious objectors, socialists, strikers and other 'shirkers'". The press is the obvious agent of propaganda, and when their ideals are in line with the goals of the government, great shifts in public opinion can be quickly felt. Since the goal of domestic propaganda is reassurance and control, the press can be very influential at home, but at this time, the allied propagandists had to take greater efforts to extend their messages to the masses. Propaganda aimed at German soldiers and civilians was dropped from airplanes and balloons. Leaflets included news banned by German Censors, and called for revolution in Germany.

In naval ports, leaflets detailing German U-boat losses disheartened sailors' families. "By October 1918 up to 5.5 million leaflets a day fell on the Eastern and Western Fronts, contrasting German conditions with those of the Allies". Atrocity stories about Germans became a central part of British propaganda. Supposed German barbarity was emphasized in an effort to justify the British cause, and instill hatred of the Germans. Not surprisingly, atrocity stories as a feature of propaganda, appealed to domestic and international audiences. What better to encourage mutual hatred of the enemy, and solidarity of cause among citizens, than to incite the deepest human emotions around explicitly inhuman actions?

Propaganda was also critical during the war because it was a way to invigorate soldiers to go fight for their country. "The absence of public unity was a primary concern when America entered the war on April 6, 1917". In Washington, unwavering public support was considered to be crucial to the entire wartime effort. On April 13, 1917, President Wilson created the CPI to promote the war domestically while publicizing American war aims abroad. Under the leadership of journalist George Creel, the CPI recruited heavily from business, media, academia, and the art world. With this distinct and distinguished group, the American government aspired to form a new public ideology centered on the need for Americans to involve themselves with their country and the war effort in Europe.

During World War I, the Committee on Public Information created a passionate belief in the justice of America's cause that would make Americans believe in 'devotion, courage, and deathless determination. ' As Creel said, the Committee on Public Information's 'goal was the creation of 'a passionate belief in the justice of America's cause that would weld the American people into one white hot mass instinct with fraternity, devotion, courage and deathless determination. ' The Committee on Public Information recruited heavily from business, media, and arts. It blended advertising techniques with a better understanding of human psychology, and its efforts represented the first time that a modern government had scattered propaganda on such a large scale. On the other side of the coin was a small aspect of the Committee on Public Information concerned with censorship. The CPI examined the many different ways that information flowed, and it saturated certain areas with pro-war material.

During this time of 'total war' the allied and central empire nations were embarking on an unprecedented scale of warfare that had left the physical realm and become highly psychological. The measure of the impact of various forms of propaganda, both at home and abroad, was precedent setting and launched humanity into a higher state of understanding. A new and very powerful weapon was discovered and governments around the world used this system in many ways toward many different ends. Successful at times and with some methods, and not so much with others but the system sharpened itself from this time forward as results emerged. Propaganda is very powerful. To the extent that every government now pays close attention to monitoring and shaping public opinion with the unique methods available to the varying styles of governments.

Full scale propaganda began during the Great War and the lessons learned will forever affect economic, technological and psychological futures around the world.

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