Patriotism and propaganda in First World War Britain : the National War Aims Committee and civilian morale / David Monger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Monger, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Great Britain. National War Aims Committee--History.

Great Britain.

Great Britain. National War Aims Committee.

History.

World War, 1914-1918--Propaganda.

World War, 1914-1918.

Propaganda.

Propaganda, British--History--20th century.

Propaganda, British.

Patriotism--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Patriotism.

Civilians in war--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Civilians in war.

Physical Description:

xiv, 310 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Liverpool : Liverpool University Pres, 2012.

Summary:

The story of propaganda and patriotism in First World War Britain too often focuses on the clichés of Kitchener, 'over by Christmas' and the deaths of patriotic young volunteers at the Somme and elsewhere. A common assumption is that familiar forms of patriotism did not survive the war. However, the activities of the National War Aims Committee in 1917-18 suggest that propaganda and patriotism remained vigorous in Britain in the last years of the war. The NWAC, a semi-official Parliamentary organisation responsible for propaganda to counteract civilian war-weariness, produced large quantities of propaganda material aimed at re-stimulating civilian patriotism and yet remains largely unknown and rarely discussed. This book provides the first detailed study of the NWAC's activities, propaganda and reception. It demonstrates the significant role played by the NWAC in British society after July 1917, illuminating the local network of agents and committees which conducted its operations and the party political motivations behind these. At the core of the book is a comprehensive analysis of the Committee's propaganda. NWAC propaganda re-presented many familiar pre-war patriotic themes in ways that sought to encompass the experiences of civilians worn down by years of total war. By interpreting propaganda through the purposes it served, the book rejects common and reductive interpretations which depict propaganda as being mainly about the vilification of enemies. Through this analysis, the book makes a wider plea for deeper attention to the purposes behind patriotic language. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1 The National War Aims Committee

1 The Development of Wartime Propaganda and the Emergence of the NWAC 17

2 The NWAC at Work 37

3 Local Agency, Local Work: The Role of Constituency War Aims Committees 62

Part 2 Patriotism for a Purpose: NWAC Propaganda

4 Presentational Patriotisms 85

5 Adversaries at Home and Abroad: The Context of Negative Difference 113

6 Civilisational Principles: Britain and its Allies as the Guardians of Civilisation 140

7 Patriotisms of Duty: Sacrifice, Obligation and Community -The Narrative Core of NWAC Propaganda 169

8 Promises for the Future: The Encouragement of Aspirations for a Better Life, Nation and World 198

Part 3 The Impact of the NWAC

9 'A Premium on Corruption'? Parliamentary, Pressure Group and National Press Responses 217

10 Individual and Local Reactions to the NWAC 242.

Notes:

Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--King's College London, 2009.

ISBN:

1846318300

9781846318306

OCLC:

794592495

Publisher Number:

60001657836