Lecture Notes: Atrocity Propaganda in World War I

Overview of Atrocity Propaganda

• Focused primarily on atrocities by German troops during the invasion of Belgium in 1914.
• Key events used in propaganda:
  • Invasion of Belgium
  • Execution of Edith Cavell
  • Sinking of the Lusitania resulting in 1,200 civilian deaths.
  • Use of Zeppelin raids and unconventional weapons like poison gas and flamethrowers.
• Propaganda emphasized German barbarism and persisted until the end of the war in 1918.

Key Examples and Imagery

• Execution of Edith Cavell depicted Germans as barbaric.
• Postcards and images showed civilian suffering (e.g., Lusitania attack).
• Propaganda from both sides existed, but Allied narratives dominated.

The Bryce Report (1915)

• An official government report legitimizing atrocity stories from Belgium.
• Authored by James Bryce, former ambassador and House of Lords member.
• Included eyewitness testimonies, adding legitimacy.
• Report used to fuel propaganda in the press and literature.

Popular Accounts and Publications

• Popularized versions of official reports, like the French Red Book.
• Detailed German brutality and used strong language to depict Germans negatively.

Intended Audiences of Propaganda

• Neutral countries, particularly the United States.
• Propaganda was not only top-down but also fueled by public desire.

Reliability of Propaganda as Historical Evidence

• Eyewitness accounts sometimes secondhand and exaggerated.
• Real atrocities were committed, but identifying genuine accounts is challenging.
• Recent research validates some atrocity stories as true.

Impact and Legacy of Propaganda

• Interwar Period:
  • Skepticism about atrocity stories, viewed as propaganda fabrications.
  • Pacifist publications questioned the authenticity of past atrocity stories.
  • In Germany, propaganda became central to future strategies.

Consequences of Propaganda on WWII

• Public skepticism of atrocity reports affected WWII reporting.
• Reluctance to report Nazi atrocities due to past skepticism.
• Difficulty grasping the scale of Nazi atrocities and the Final Solution.

Conclusion

• Legacy of WWI atrocity propaganda impacted the perception and reporting of atrocities in WWII and modern Europe.