British Propaganda and the State During the First World War

In 1914, advertising was much less sophisticated that it is today, radio was in its infancy, television was undeveloped, telephones were just coming into use, the gargantuan party rallies of Hitler or Mussolini were still in the future, and the idea of using communications media to control the thoughts of an entire population was new, relatively unexplored, and not of interest to governments to any great extent. Propaganda was a part of life before 1914, and the term was coming into increasingly widespread usage. But other institutions of society, such as the church, the press, business, political parties, and philanthropy, were the major producers - not government. This work explores the roots of modern propaganda and the development during the World War I of new techniques of group persuasion. It focuses on the individuals who were recruited by the government to shape public discourse at home, amongst allies and in the enemy countries.