In what ways did the government attempt to hide the effects of the Blitz form the people of Britain?

The government feared that if people saw the devastation, panic and disorder they might think they were losing the war and so give up. As a result the British Government limited such information because they needed to maintain public morale to continue with the war. If the public saw a lot of these stories then they might begin to question the chance of victory.

As an attempt to hide the effects of the Blitz the Ministry of Information encourages newspapers so show photos of people smiling and giving victory signs and so showed the British to be victorious and courageous against the nazi’s such as the newspapers, which spoke about the number of German aircraft shot down by the RAF. However the devastation of Luftwaffe a raids and casualties were hidden from the public. Newspapers also showed the heroic work of the emergency services and the ARP wardens giving help and trying to rescue people in bombed areas.  Reports also showed the positive ness of people sticking together, helping each other through terrible conditions and danger and they were also shown carrying on with daily business in bombed areas and singing songs of victory.  Censorship was when information was cut out from newspapers films or letters that could be negative and would damage the attempt to win the war. The government tried to hide the effect of the Blitz from the people by allowing only positive information such as stories, photographs and reports which showed the British people coping commendably with the Blitz. Instead of mentioning the devastation and commotion, the government wanted people to see how everyone was staying untied during the horrific nazi attacks. The British government wanted to send inspiration out to others of these courageous act and hope that these stories would give others hope to continue. However censors and the Ministry of Information encouraged positive stories for war effort to continue.

Posters, film, radio and the press were all used to support the war effort. Rather than reporting effects of bombing the government used these to keep up morale and showed how people could support war effort. The Ministry of Information that published in newspapers showed the certainty of beating Hitler by writing articles. Radio programmes were made which showed people to look on the bright side of life such as a major hit called ‘Its that man again’, which poked fun at Hitler. The ministry of Information used filmmakers such as Humphrey Jennings to make films to build morale. These films showed life after the victory of war. They didn’t just inform but inspire. The government went to such extremes to hide the effects of the Blitz that they even faked photographs to make sure people still hated the Germans. For example Flames and clouds were added to St Paul’s Cathedral in a photo to show everything truly British was under attack and must be defended. This made the British people more determined. The role of the Ministry of Information was to inform people about the war and at the same time maintain morale. The Government tries to hide the effect of the Blitz from the people by producing lots of films, stories and reports which encouraged people to support the war effort rather than think of the problems the Blitz was causing. By producing stories of heroic events the government was trying to set examples which would overcome depression of British people about the Blitz. The Ministry of Information’s campaign was particularly important in order to prevent the German propaganda Campaign of ‘Lord Haw Haw’ destroying British people’s confidence. However the British propaganda campaign was vital in order to maintain public morale needed for the war.

It is simple to say that the British were acting dishonestly in hiding information of the effect of the Blitz that might be damaging to the morale of the British people. It can also easily be said that the propaganda campaign emphasising British success and a united and courageous Britain did not actually imitate the truth of the situation. The British facing the Blitz with courage and heroism can be seen as a complete lie. However with Britain being at total war civilians would clearly find it difficult to cope with devastations of cities homes and thousands of casualties and so support is vital to keep up morale and war effort. Also the British government would naturally promote a population for war effort to show the enemy that they are not successful.