Patriotism and Propaganda in First World War Britain: The National War Aims Committee and Civilian Morale

The story of patriotism and propaganda in Britain during and after World War I too often focuses on the clichés of Kitchener, “over by Christmas,” and the deaths of patriotic young volunteers at the Somme. However, this book, in reviewing the activities of the National War Aims Committee (NWAC) in 1917-18, shows that propaganda and patriotism continued to be rigorously bolstered into the last years of the war. Examining the semiofficial Parliamentary organization of the NWAC, David Monger shows how it pushed stories of patriotism to reinvigorate a war-weary civilian population.

David Monger is a lecturer in modern European history at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.