How important was the government’s use of propaganda in bringing the strike to an early end?
The Governments use of propaganda in bringing the general strike to an early end was important. It was definitely a great aid to the government however it was not the only important factor involved. Other factors were equally as important and it was the combination of all these factors, including the government’s use of propaganda, which enabled the government to bring the strike to an early end.
The main type of propaganda that the government used was in the form of articles in newspapers and posters. One such poster was published during the General strike entitled ‘message from the prime minister’ (Source G). This poster claimed that the General Strike was ‘a challenge to Parliament and was the road to anarchy and ruin’. The second point of the poster refers to the laws of England saying that the government was the laws guardian. Statements like this made people consider the long-term effects of the General Strike and did gain the government support. Other articles, which were published at the time of the General Strike, claimed that the strike was a revolutionary movement and that it was intended to inflict suffering upon people of the community. This again turned people away from supporting the Strike. Another main source of propaganda for the Government came from the prime minister Stanley Baldwin who did many writing and made several important speeches. One of these was a speech in which he told the nation that people were returning back to work and that people who returned to work would be protected from victimisation. This one speech was important as it persuaded people to go back to work by saying that they wouldn’t be the first and that there would be no problems if they did return. The use of propaganda was effective to a certain extent, it managed to reach many people and helped persuade some people against the strike but it was not the sole factor which led to the early end of the General Strike.
