Familiarity Breeds Consent? Patriotic Rituals in British First World War Propaganda

This article extends recent reconsideration of British First World War patriotism by considering the ways in which domestic propaganda campaigns used repetitive organizational structures as rituals to provide a sense of familiarity among civilians. Using examples, involving multiple propaganda bodies and in varied parts of the nation, of street meetings, film screenings, fundraising weeks and the religious response to the fourth anniversary of Britain’s entry into the war, it argues that historians should consider repetitive elements in First World War propaganda as a possible virtue rather than a drawback. Instead of repetition showing a lack of imagination or initiative, it apparently served a purpose in making propaganda events comfortable and accessible instead of alien or challenging. The form, organization and structure of propaganda, as well as its content, should be carefully studied to ensure fuller understanding of its purposes and impact

Ancient history · First world war · Linguistics · Media studies · Patriotism · Political science · Repetition (rhetorical device · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Virtue · World War II · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact · History · Law · Philosophy

• Propaganda and the Web 3.0

  Open Access•Aaron Hyzen•Nordic Journal of Media Studies•2023

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