Censorship and Propaganda in World War I

This book demonstrates how people were kept ignorant by censorship and indoctrinated by propaganda. Censorship suppressed all information that criticized the army and government, that might trouble the population or weaken its morale. Propaganda at home emphasized the superiority of the fatherland, explained setbacks by blaming scapegoats, vilified and ridiculed the enemy, warned of the disastrous consequences of defeat and extolled duty and sacrifice. The propaganda message also infiltrated entertainment and the visual arts. Abroad it aimed to demoralize enemy troops and stir up unrest among national minorities and other marginalized groups. The many illustrations and organograms provide a clear visual demonstration of Demm’s argument.

It is an ambitious claim to call a single volume a comprehensive history of censorship and propaganda in World War I, yet Eberhard Demm has provided just such a book ... Demm’s book can serve as a cornerstone for future research. Scholars will have to address Demm, whether it is to build upon his foundation or to question his conclusions. For that, historians should be grateful., [A]n accomplishment of the first order on a topic as complex and nationally diversified as the subject at hand ... this book is a spectacular addition to the World War I literature for readers interested in the intersection of the social, political, and military histories of the conflict., The range of sources and secondary literature are exhaustive and Demm has been able to incorporate a good deal of material gathered during his thirty-five-year career which results in a truly comprehensive volume invaluable to students and researchers at all levels., The concise empirical narratives of controversial war-time events, at times complemented by illustrations, makes Censorship and Propaganda a must read for anyone in understanding the forces that maintain social order during war., [Demm] offers many intriguing insights, especially comparative ones … [A] fascinating, wide-ranging look at how pervasive, multifaceted, and resourceful censors and propagandists were in every wartime society.

EBERHARD DEMM is a retired professor of German Civilization at the University Lyon III. He also taught at the Universities of Alberta at Edmonton, Amsterdam, Paris X and Paris XII, and, as a visiting professor, at Heidelberg, Berlin (Humboldt and Freie Universität) and Riga. He has published widely on the First World War, Wilhelmine Germany and Alfred Weber.