Propaganda and the Role of the State in Inter-War Britain

Abstract

This is a study of government publicity activities in Britain between the wars. The book focuses on the development of a public relations bureaux and information services in Whitehall. It shows how during the inter-war period publicity came to be regarded as a legitimate and necessary task of democratic government, and that although government departments pursued propaganda activities with different motives and divergent perspectives, they adopted a similar approach to both the tool and their audience. The book explores a variety of different issues and campaigns, including the Post Office's attempts to make the public 'telephone conscious', the Ministry of Health's sex education efforts, and the multi-departmental and protracted 'Drink More Milk' campaign. It shows how the experiences and developments of the 1920s and 1930s contributed to the decision in 1939 to establish the propaganda ministry, designed to manage wartime publicity and shape public opinion. The book offers insights into the nature of propaganda and its management, and contributes to our understanding of the changing role of the state in modern British society.