Propaganda and Censorship during the First World War

Learning Objective: To understand the nature of propaganda and censorship Learning Outcome: To evaluate and explain how propaganda and censorship were used during the First World War.

Censorship During the First World War the British Government carefully controlled what people wrote, said or heard about the war. This was in order to keep up morale, to ensure people continued to support the war effort and to persuade young men to volunteer. The Defence of the Realm Act was passed in 1914 this gave the Government the powers of censorship throughout the war. This censorship was to ensure that the public did not find out the worst features of the Western Front, especially the heavy casualties and often poor living conditions. The government also did not want the British people exposed to the enemy (German) view of the war, (that Germany was in the right as they were fighting a war of self defence).

Source A – A photograph of dead German troops killed by a British bombardment July 1917 Lesson 2

Work in Pairs, imagine you are army censors. 1. Study source A. Would you censor or publish this? Give your reasons for your answer. 2. Using your copy of the letter written by a soldier on the western front highlight any words, phrases or sentences that need to be removed because they might upset morale or give away military information.

Dear Man and dad Near Amiens 12 th July 1916 I am writing this letter from a trench near Amiens in France where the Northumberland Fusiliers are stationed. Yesterday we launched an attack against the Germans. we captured a stretch of their trenches. However two of my Close mates were killed by German machine guns. I've made some really good friends in the trenches. However, The food id awful and there are rats everywhere. However we must not give up. It looks like we are getting ready for another attack tomorrow. Love Billy

Consider the following experiences written about by Frederick Littler during 1916, then write a letter home showing which elements would be censored. First World War.com - Memoirs & Diaries - The Diary of Thomas Fredrick Littler: July-December 1916

True / False German soldiers were caught bayoneting babies for fun. In Germany there was a factory where human corpses were melted down and made into bars of soap for general use. German soldiers crucified women. German soldiers raped women.

Propaganda During the First World War the government used propaganda to ensure support for the war and to encourage young men to volunteer for the war effort. The British government set about convincing the public that Germans were evil and had to be stopped. Often stories were wildly exaggerated to make the enemy appear worse. For instance by the end of 1914 it was widely believed in Britain that the German armies in Belgium were bayoneting babies and murdering innocent civilians. Newspapers published artists impressions of women being crucified. One of the most famous stories was that there was a German factory where human corpses were melted down and made into soap.

Consider the following propaganda posters from the First World War. What techniques are they Using? How effective are they ? Why? First World War.com - Propaganda Posters: United Kingdom

Source B: An article in the Accrington Observer, 19 th September 1914 In the towns and villages where the German army stop they begin by requisitioning food and drink, which they consume till they are drunk. Then the scenes of fire, murder and especially pillage begin, accompanied by acts of deliberate cruelty, without respect to sex or age. They seize the opportunity to decimate the population, pillage the houses, and then set them on fire. After a preliminary attack and massacre, they shut up the men in the church, and then order the women to return to their houses and leave their doors open all night. Lesson 2

Task – Inferences What can you learn from source B about the German army in 1914? This is an inference question, which means it is asking you to think: What is the source suggesting? What message is it trying to put across? Remember when answering inference questions in the exam, once you have given an inference, you should support it with evidence from the source.