The main principles of war propaganda

The main principles of war propaganda were set out by the British diplomat Lord Ponsonby in his book Falsehood in War-Time (1928). The essence of these principles comes down to the following:

1. We do not want war. The main thing is to convince people that the ‘bad guys’ hate ‘us’ and have already struck first (or are about to);

2. The war is being fought solely through the fault of the enemy. It is ‘the others’, ‘they’, who started it, or who dream of starting it any day now. ‘We’ are simply forced to defend ourselves;

3. The leader of the opposing country is an absolute devil. There is no need to make people hate the whole nation. The image of the enemy must be personified: show your own population that the head, the leader of ‘the others’, is a deranged, unhinged, corrupt man;

4. We are fighting for a just cause, not for our own interests. We should keep quiet about the fact that every war pursues economic goals above all, and stress only the humanitarian reasons;

5. The enemy commits atrocities on purpose; we only by accident. Word of the cruelties committed by the enemy must be spread as quickly as possible, with the explanation that such conduct is characteristic of him alone.

**6) The enemy uses banned weapons. ** 7) Our losses are insignificant, the enemy’s are enormous. In wartime, losses in manpower and equipment are reported not as they are but in line with one’s own advantage;

8) Cultural figures, artists and intellectuals support our cause;

9) Our mission is sacred.

**10) Anyone who doubts our propaganda is a traitor. **