Propaganda: Power and Persuasion - British Library Publication

David Welch is Professor of Modern History and Director of the Centre for the Study of Propaganda, War & Society at the University of Kent. As a leading expert on the history and usage of propaganda he is author of several books including Germany: Propaganda and Total War 1914-1918;The Third Reich: Politics and Propaganda and Justifying War: Propaganda, Politics and the Modern Age.

Propaganda can unite or divide nations and David Welch uses universally recognised themes of conflict, public education, protest and leadership to demonstrate how different governments have influenced the thoughts and behaviour the populace.

The book is arranged thematically in six chapters:

• 'A much maligned and misunderstood word' A brief history of propaganda - This chapter outlines the roots of the word 'propaganda' and gives us a short history of the uses and forms of propaganda. What types of propaganda were used by which states, and for what reason?

• 'One People, One Nation, One Leader!' The propaganda of nationhood and leadership - How have propaganda programmes been used to engender a feeling of national identity? Welch discusses what is meant by 'nation' and 'citizenship' and examines the methods used by leaders such as Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse-tung, Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler. Welsh tells us ex-journalist Mussolini was the first dictator to fully understand the power of a well-planned propaganda campaign.

• 'Your Country Needs You' The Propaganda of War - This chapter looks at a number of posters such as the very well-known ″Your Country Needs You″, which first appeared on the cover of the magazine London Opinion in September 1914. Readers will recognise the pointing finger of Lord Kitchener, British War Secretary during World War I, urging men to sign up for the armed forces some two years before conscription actually began.
  This chapter also examines the various methods used by the British, and other governments, to get information to troops serving overseas. For example, the Royal Air Force dropped leaflets showing idyllic scenes of life on the Home Front to raise morale among the troops. They also dropped leaflets over the enemy, designed to destroy morale.

• 'Trap Your Germs!' Propaganda as public information – In the devastation following World War II, propaganda once again came into its own. We had campaigns such as ″Dig for Victory″ and ″Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases″: posters, pamphlets and leaflets educated people on health and healthy eating, the importance of exercise, the risks of drink and smoking and the benefits of growing your own vegetables. During the Cold War, the United States had the"Duck and Cover" campaign, a series of films where a turtle named Bert gave instructions on what to do in the event of a nuclear strike. Bert now enjoys a happy life on You Tube! (See below.)

• 'Know Your Enemy' Case studies in negative propaganda – On page 152, Welsh cites publisher Leonard Woolf who, in his Principia Politica: A Study of Communal Knowledge (1953), said ″The cult of hatred and xenophobia is the cheapest and surest method of obtaining from the masses the ignorant and savage patriotism which puts the blame for every political folly or social misfortune upon the hand of the foreigner″. Welsh presents case studies showing how negative propaganda can be used to exploit or create difference.

• 'We are all Americans now?' - Propaganda in the 21st Century. Welsh explores the power of the people to be propagandists. Until recently governments influenced us, but now we have the power to influence governments. The internet, social media, mobile phones, advertising and the press make this possible.