The Universal Laws of Propaganda: World War I and the Origins of Government Manufacture of Opinion

The Great War transformed propaganda as, indeed, it transformed warfare. Over the course of the conflict, from 1914 to 1918, propaganda became, for the first time, a pervasive, systematic instrument of every government that threw troops into battle. The belligerent governments employed similar appro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of intelligence history 2023-01, Vol.22 (1), p.1-19
Main Authors: Fondren, Elisabeth, Hamilton, John Maxwell
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
1914-1918
censorship
government publicity
intelligence
press surveillance
Propaganda
public opinion
World War I
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Summary:The Great War transformed propaganda as, indeed, it transformed warfare. Over the course of the conflict, from 1914 to 1918, propaganda became, for the first time, a pervasive, systematic instrument of every government that threw troops into battle. The belligerent governments employed similar approaches to shaping mass opinion. This study identifies nine laws of propaganda - that is, seminal characteristics and consequences - that emerged from the war and continue today. We draw on primary sources and unpublished materials located in political archives in the United States, Germany and Britain to explore the relationship between media, war, intelligence, and government publicity activities during 1914-1918.
ISSN:1616-1262
2169-5601
DOI:10.1080/16161262.2022.2036498