Public Opinion

• Revolutionary 


  Limited appeals to public opinion.

  Revolutionary France utilized pamphlets and sheet music for propaganda.

  Napoleon sent bulletins to motivate the people.

  Spanish guerrilla actions countered Napoleon's republican ideals.
• NapoleonicWars


  Napoleon's bulletins aimed to stir popular feelings.

  Spanish guerrilla actions inspired by religious fervor and patriotism.

  Warfare dictated by military class.
• ACW


  Lincoln rallied support against the anti-war faction.

  The Gettysburg Address linked to the morale crusade against slavery.

  Heavy casualties required public support for endurance.
• Small Wars


  Statesmen avoided appealing to public opinion for fear of revolution.

  Public opinion mobilized to support Crimean campaign.

  French support for Italian nationalism drove involvement in Italian Unification war.

  Nationalism and media stirred up feelings. 
• WW1


  Press censorship, fabricated atrocity stories, and spy/invasion fears mobilized public support.

  German atrocities in Belgium (1914) shocked other nations.

  War Propaganda Bureau in Britain involved leading figures like Rudyard Kipling.

  Russian Revolutions (1917) and German home front collapse (1918) due to war strain.

  Total war elements seen in civilian attacks and extensive propaganda use.
• WW2


  Goebbels’ Ministry of Public Enlightenment in Nazi Germany highly sophisticated.

  All nations used advanced propaganda, with cinema and radio playing key roles.

  Songs like "Lili Marlene" and "The White Cliffs of Dover" boosted morale. 

  Aerial bombing of civilians became standard, following WWI’s precedent.

  By 1943, propaganda and public sentiment made compromise impossible.

  Notable battles: Battle of Kursk (1943) involved massive mobilization and half a million German casualties.