War, Propaganda and Postcards

Postcards were used not only for communication but also for propaganda activities during the war. Although they were not common in the Ottoman Empire, postcards were used as a means of propaganda in various ways by Western states during the First World War. The figure of flag, which was highly esteemed in the First World War period as in all periods of war, was frequently used to symbolise patriotism. Flags, which symbolise patriotism and loyalty to one’s homeland, became a part of British propaganda and later, by means of postcards, they were distributed to British Colonies by colonial governors. These postcards aimed to create a “powerful state” image in people’s minds and to give them the message that they could only be safe under the rule of this powerful state. British officials encountered some propaganda postcards designed by Turks during the war; especially a postcard (poster) of Mustafa Kemal, dated 1922, was remarkable as a counter example of that kind of propaganda.