A Short History of the World in 50 Lies

by Natasha Tidd

Following the end of the First World War, the delight with which British propagandists vied at dinner parties to take credit for the corpse factory hoax shows both how much propaganda meant to the war and how easy it had been to lie. For the victors, there were no immediate consequences, while the losers bore the brunt. The war had popularized something called atrocity propaganda, a technique that had existed throughout history, but had never before been so utilized by so many nations. If you can demonize your enemy, and prove – falsely or otherwise – that they are capable of the unthinkable, then you can transform them into a monstrous other that must be defeated. It’s an ingenious way of gaining support and marshalling action – a kind of psychological warfare that is often only discovered once it has completed its job. The First World War had finessed atrocity propaganda, proved its worth, and since then, it has become a key part of international politics and warfare.