Essay On World War 1 Propaganda

World War 1 was the first war were propaganda played huge role in keeping people at the home front informed about what was happening throughout the battlefields. This was also the first war where the government introduced propaganda to target the public and change their opinion on war (“Propaganda in World War 1”).

There were many reasons for the governments to use propaganda throughout World War 1 such as; to blacken the enemy's name, to turn countries against another country, to persuade people into enlisting, to make war sound glorious ("Facts - AL WWI Propaganda."), and to calm down or even to stir up emotions throughout the war.

One of the main ways propaganda was used in World War 1 was to ensure that the public only knew what the governments wanted them to know. In World War 1, the lengths taken to which governments would go to blacken the enemy’s

I think these governments did it either to badmouth another country or to tell the public what they wanted the public to know. It sparked an interest in me as the government's pride or nationalism which made them go to significant lengths to show the public what was right and what was wrong, labelling countries and letting the public know that enlisting to fight against this country was good as they were bad and if you fought against them then you would be a hero. Generally speaking the government would say that if you enlisted that your sacrifice would be rewarded.

Due to the government's influence, people were buying books, newspapers, paintings and pictures of propaganda without a thought that the government were misleading them. Without the government controlling propaganda, the British public would have known what was happening, which would lead to people not wanting to enlist. If propaganda was not used as much as it was I believe that the outcome of the war would have been