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RECRUITMENT, CONSCRIPTION, CENSORSHIP AND PROPAGANDA . IN BRITAIN AND GERMANY – WORLD WAR 1. RECRUITMENT AND CONSCRIPTION. Recruitment and Conscription. Britain . Germany.
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RECRUITMENT, CONSCRIPTION, CENSORSHIP AND PROPAGANDA IN BRITAIN AND GERMANY – WORLD WAR 1
Recruitment and Conscription Britain Germany Conscription had been an accepted part of the German way of life for decades. In 1914 Germany had 94 divisions and millions of reservists On 31 July 1914 martial law was declared in Germany. 24 army districts headed by generals were created. Later the government increased its control over the population with the Auxiliary Services Law of 1916 • In August 1914 Britain had a modestly sized professional army of twenty divisions. It was assumed that voluntary signing up would ensure an enlistment rate of 100,000 per month. • Recruitment committees were drawn up and had little problem attracting men • By mid November 1914 700,000 men had volunteered. By January 1915 1.34 million men had joined the army
Recruitment and Conscription Britain Germany Enormous enthusiasm surrounded enlistment early in the war. The motivating factors of a search for adventure, excitement, patriotic duty, peer pressure and a desire to impress women operated similarly in Britain and Germany. Young German soldiers also believed the war would be ‘over by Christmas’ and troop trains left stations with signs saying ‘to Paris’ or ‘to London’ on them • In the early months there was great competition to enter the ranks. The army set high physical standards so that entry implied elitism. • By mid 1915 enlistment had declined to 22,000 per week. Tough physical standards were gradually removed. In July 1915 height requirement fell from 168 cm. to 157 cm. and the age bracket was widened from 19-30 years to 19-40 years.
Recruitment and Conscription Britain Germany The pro-war response was due to the tight hold over the press. Newspapers were not allowed to openly discuss reasons for war so there were few dissenters. Like their British counterparts, the average German had little understanding of war. They had been fed romantic notions of service and chivalry for years – there was little understanding of the horrors of modern war • As enlistment numbers fell, recruitment campaigns became more radical. Propaganda posters aimed at women were produced. Posters that attempted to shame me into enlisting were also produced. Sports clubs and professional football associations were used to promote recruitment. By 1914 professional football had become the major working class weekend entertainment
British Propaganda Poster Recruitment Campaign
British Propaganda Poster Recruitment
British Conscription • It became clear that the voluntary system was failing by 1915 • Lord Derby became Director of Recruitment. In 1915 he introduced the Derby Scheme aimed at boosting numbers. He used the new national register to enlist all men aged between 18 and 41. Men would be called up starting with single men. Some men in reserved occupations (munitions, coalmining, railways and some farming jobs) were exempt. This scheme was a failure and closed by December 1915. • In May 1916 the Second Military Service Act saw the introduction of conscription where all men were liable for service. Herbert Asquith masterminded conscription and was opposed as being anti-liberal and anti the freedom of the individual. Eventually however, only one of Asquith’s colleagues, Sir John Simon resigned over this issue
British Conscientious Objectors • About 16,000 men registered as Conscientious Objectors during the war. • Reasons included: - Strong religious belief - Moral revulsion to the taking of human life • The British public regarded these men as ‘conchies’ – slackers and cowards to deserved to be treated severely. They were dealt with by local tribunals – there was great inconsistency in the manner in which they were dealt. • Most conchies were granted some exemption but if their claim was turned down and they failed to report to duty, they were court martialled and imprisoned. In prison they were badly treated and had no rights to legal representation.
Conscientious Objector Cartoon showing attitudes
Censorship and Propaganda Britain Germany German propaganda echoed the British but did not need to promote recruitment so early on it was confined to anti-British material The speaking of English was banned and any English names (eg. the Hotel Westminster in Berlin) were changed. An expected greeting between Germans was “Gott strafe England”, meaning “God punish England.” • Early propaganda was to encourage patriotism and concentrated on German responsibility for the war, the plight of poor Belgium and German atrocities. • From 1916 the tone of propaganda changed to a message of the need to maintain national sacrifice and unity on the home front
British anti-German Propaganda Cartoon “Bravo Belgium” published in Punch Magazine in England August 1914
German anti-British Propaganda German Poster: “It’s their fault”
Methods of British Propaganda • Propaganda needs to be simple to appeal to a low intellectual level. The rules were basic: - Propaganda uses stereotypes - Proper names should not be used - Propagandists are selective in their use of material - Propaganda frequently lies - Effective propaganda is repetitive - Propaganda makes strong assertions
Organisation of British Propaganda • Initially propaganda was under the control of the Secret War Propaganda Bureau • This was passed on to the Department of Information from February 1917 to February 1918 • From February 1918 to the end of the war it was the job of the Ministry of Information created by Lloyd George. This ministry was headed by newspaper tycoons. • Newspapers were important in the pre-radio and pre-television age. Cartoons in particular were very powerful. Caricature became the means by which Germans were demonised • Photographs were also used. Shots were rigged to present a positive view of the front line. • The language of newspapers changed to inspire readers. Friends became ‘comrades’, the enemy was the ‘foe’ and men in danger became ‘men in peril’ • Movie theatres depicted documentary footage of brave soldiers in training and Church sermons contributed to the idea that God was on the side of the allies.
Anti German Propaganda Cartoon
Defensive German Propaganda and German Censorship • It was necessary for Germany to adopt a defensive position so that the invasion of Belgium and France was defended as necessary for upholding the Schlieffen Plan and for preventing encirclement. • German soldiers were presented as heroes, defending the Fatherland • German propaganda was not as effective as British because they had no ministry of propaganda but they made up for this by using censorship: - information from the front was tightly controlled - Any discussion of peace moves in the press were banned • The German press was generally pro-war. It indulged in anti-British atrocity stories such as: -British soldiers being accused of using dumdum bullets that enters the skill and explodes shattering the skull - Belgian priests were accused of firing from behind altars when German troops entered their churches -Belgian civilians were accused of mutilating the bodies of wounded German troops
German Propaganda • Differed in tone to British propaganda in that it tended to use elitist figures and heroic images that conveyed a glorious tradition • It was not as accessible to the average German, but then, this was unnecessary because of conscription • The defence of German culture was often mixed with racial prejudice so it was not as effective in influencing international opinion • Old medieval images of German heroism and pictures of the perfect German Aryan family were used
