Propoganda

Britain's Portrayal of Germany

During World War 1, as in virtually any war, governments used propoganda in order to ensure that the public only got to know what their government wanted them to know. Because of this, the truth suffered. The government controlled all forms of information.
The newspapers were expected to print only what the government wanted them to print, and many rumors and lies about the enemy were published in order to breed more hate into their citizens.

For example, headlines in Britain included lies such as "Belgium Child's hands cut off my Germans" in order to foster hate of Germany in their country. This occurred in all countries throughout the war, and it had a major effect on the public's viewpoint of the war and inspired nationalism.