Title: Propaganda and censorship during Canada's Great War /
Authors: Keshen, Jeff, 1962-
Publisher: University of Alberta Press,
Year: 1996
Subjects: World War, 1914-1918 Propaganda; World War, 1914-1918 Censorship Canada.; Propaganda, Anti-German Canada History.; Propaganda, Canadian History.; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic history Canada.; World War I; Disabled Persons history Canada.
Abstract: Canadians entered the Great War in August 1914 viewing armed conflict as a rather majestic affair. But before long, opposing armies were slaughtering each other on the battlefield in numbers never equalled before or since. With victory hanging in the balance, both private and governmental opinion-makers began working to prop up notions of the conflict - and the enemy - that sometimes had little to do with the facts. They were guided by concern for security and morale, but they played upon long-established and war-heightened attitudes of imperialism, romanticism and racialism. The press of the day competed for readers with ridiculously upbeat stories. Patriotic editors killed most of the disheartening reports filed from the front, and Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest J. Chambers, Canada's Chief Censor, killed most of the rest. In November 1918, Canadians waited to welcome home the troops.
Contents: 1. A Nation Rallies to the Cause -- 2. Official Propaganda: Canada's Great War of Deception -- 3. A Loyal or Muzzled Press? -- 4. The Censor's Extended Scope -- 5. Newspapers for the Fighting Man -- 6. Hidden Truths: Letters and Diaries from Canadian Soldiers -- 7. Johnny Canuck Returns to Civilian Life.