Events Which Generated Propaganda
The Scrap of Paper - 1914
German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg famously referred to the Treaty of London (1839) as a mere "scrap of paper," lamenting that it was the reason Britain and Germany were going to war.
The Raid on Scarborough - 1914
German submarines raided coastal towns and villages in December of 1914. These attacks resulted in hundreds of civilian casulties.
Zeppelin Attacks - 1915
Zeppelin raids further enraged the British populace, as this direct attack on an enemy's civilian population was unprecedented.
The Rape of Belgium - 1915
The German invasion of Belgium generated a great deal of atrocity stories. These graphic accounts of German barbarism served to inflame English popular opinion against the Germans.
The Murder of Nurse Edith Cavell - 1915
Edith Cavell was a British nurse working in Belgium. She helped about 200 Allied soldiers escape from German occupied Belgium. She was caught and sentenced to treason by the Germans and executed by firing squad.
The Sinking of the Lusitania - 1915
When German U-Boat 20 torpedoed and sank the RMS Lusitania, it created a moral outrage over the fact that the Germans had violated the implied safe passage of civilian ships.
The End of the War - 1918
As the war neared its conclusion, propaganda shifted its focus toward warning English citizens against the potential treachery of Germans after the war.