{"product_id":"2940013756038","title":"Falsehood in War-time: Propaganda Lies of the First World War","description":"The object of this volume is not to cast fresh blame on authorities and\u003cbr\u003eindividuals, nor is it to expose one nation more than another to\u003cbr\u003eaccusations of deceit. Falsehood is a recognized and extremely useful\u003cbr\u003eweapon in warfare, and every country uses it quite deliberately to\u003cbr\u003edeceive its own people, to attract neutrals, and to mislead the enemy.\u003cbr\u003eThe ignorant and innocent masses in each country are unaware at the time\u003cbr\u003ethat they are being misled, and when it is all over only here and there\u003cbr\u003eare the falsehoods discovered and exposed. As it is all past history and\u003cbr\u003ethe desired effect has been produced by the stories and statements, no\u003cbr\u003eone troubles to investigate the facts and establish the truth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLying, as we all know, does not take place only in war-time. Man, it has\u003cbr\u003ebeen said, is not \"a veridical animal,\" but his habit of lying is not\u003cbr\u003enearly so extraordinary as his amazing readiness to believe. It is,\u003cbr\u003eindeed, because of human credulity that lies flourish. But in war-time\u003cbr\u003ethe authoritative organization of lying is not sufficiently recognized.\u003cbr\u003eThe deception of whole peoples is not a matter which can be lightly\u003cbr\u003eregarded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA useful purpose can therefore be served in the interval of so-called\u003cbr\u003epeace by a warning which people can examine with dispassionate calm,\u003cbr\u003ethat the authorities in each country do, and indeed must, resort to this\u003cbr\u003epractice in order, first, to justify themselves by depicting the enemy\u003cbr\u003eas an undiluted criminal; and secondly, to inflame popular passion\u003cbr\u003esufficiently to secure recruits for the continuance of the struggle.\u003cbr\u003eThey cannot afford to tell the truth. In some cases it must be admitted\u003cbr\u003ethat at the moment they do not know what the truth is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe psychological factor in war is just as important as the military\u003cbr\u003efactor. The _morale_ of civilians, as well as of soldiers, must be kept up\u003cbr\u003eto the mark. The War Offices, Admiralties, and Air Ministries look after\u003cbr\u003ethe military side. Departments have to be created to see to the\u003cbr\u003epsychological side. People must never be allowed to become despondent;\u003cbr\u003eso victories must be exaggerated and defeats, if not concealed, at any\u003cbr\u003erate minimized, and the stimulus of indignation, horror, and hatred must\u003cbr\u003ebe assiduously and continuously pumped into the public mind by means of\u003cbr\u003e\"propaganda.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Mr. Bonar Law said in an interview to the United Press of America,\u003cbr\u003ereferring to patriotism, \"It is well to have it properly stirred by\u003cbr\u003eGerman frightfulness\"; and a sort of general confirmation of atrocities\u003cbr\u003eis given by vague phrases which avoid responsibility for the\u003cbr\u003eauthenticity of any particular story, as when Mr. Asquith said (_House of\u003cbr\u003eCommons, April 27, 1915_): \"We shall not forget this horrible record of\u003cbr\u003ecalculated cruelty and crime.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe use of the weapon of falsehood is more necessary in a country where\u003cbr\u003emilitary conscription is not the law of the land than in countries where\u003cbr\u003ethe manhood of the nation is automatically drafted into the Army, Navy,\u003cbr\u003eor Air Service. The public can be worked up emotionally by sham ideals.\u003cbr\u003eA sort of collective hysteria spreads and rises until finally it gets\u003cbr\u003ethe better of sober people and reputable newspapers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith a warning before them, the common people may be more on their guard\u003cbr\u003ewhen the war cloud next appears on the horizon and less disposed to\u003cbr\u003eaccept as truth the rumours, explanations, and pronouncements issued for\u003cbr\u003etheir consumption. They should realize that a Government which has\u003cbr\u003edecided on embarking on the hazardous and terrible enterprise of war\u003cbr\u003emust at the outset present a one-sided case in justification of its\u003cbr\u003eaction, and cannot afford to admit in any particular whatever the\u003cbr\u003esmallest degree of right or reason on the part of the people it has made\u003cbr\u003eup its mind to fight. Facts must be distorted, relevant circumstances\u003cbr\u003econcealed and a picture presented which by its crude colouring will\u003cbr\u003epersuade the ignorant people that their Government is blameless, their\u003cbr\u003ecause is righteous, and that the indisputable wickedness of the enemy\u003cbr\u003ehas been proved beyond question. A moment's reflection would tell any\u003cbr\u003ereasonable person that such obvious bias cannot possibly represent the\u003cbr\u003etruth. But the moment's reflection is not allowed; lies are circulated\u003cbr\u003ewith great rapidity. The unthinking mass accept them and by their\u003cbr\u003eexcitement sway the rest. The amount of rubbish and humbug that pass\u003cbr\u003eunder the name of patriotism in war-time in all countries is sufficient\u003cbr\u003eto make decent people blush when they are subsequently disillusioned.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47079720354032,"sku":"2940013756038","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013756038_p0.jpg?v=1763589833","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013756038","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}