Propaganda by definition according to the Oxford English Dictionary is the communication of “Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view”. Although propaganda did not reach its height until the mid nineteen hundreds. The term was coined all the way back in 1622, “the word Propaganda which comes from the latin Propagare meaning to ‘sow or propagate’ was adopted into the title of a new committee of cardinals, the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, created by the catholic church to promote the faith in mission territories.” (C.Moore. 2010)

Britain 1800-1914

Social structure and Economic Conditions

The close of the Victorian and entry into Edwardian Britain was a relatively peaceful time. Although its economic advantage had begun to lessen, relative to the growing industries in the United States and Germany. The social class system remained clearly defined. “The working class was divided into three layers, the lowest being ‘working men’ or labourers, then the ‘intelligent artisan’, and above him the ‘educated working man’” (L. Picard., 2009).

Technology

The close of the nineteenth century and the onset of the industrial revolution gave rise to new forms of technology, of particular importance was the invention of large newspaper printing machines. This was the first time in human history that information could be produced and distributed to a large population group on a regular basis.“..Lord Stanhope’s new all metal printing press was able to produce about 250 sheets per hour; by the end of the century the daily mail had a circulation of nearly a million copies” (C.Moore, 2010). Newspapers became the public’s main source of reference for what was happening in the world around them, giving a great deal of power to the writers and editors in the control that they had over what information to pass on and what information to omit from their articles.