Call and Response: The Efficacy of British Wartime Propaganda in Palestine and Bahrain During the Second World War

During the Second World War, Britain employed propaganda campaigns abroad to their vast empire in the hopes of maintaining their control over their territories in the face of Axis aggression. The mandate of Palestine and the protectorate of Bahrain both saw British propaganda efforts in both their respective countries as Britain sought to sway Arab hearts and minds during the war. Britain hoped to counter Axis propaganda in both Palestine and Bahrain and attain their goal of maintaining influence across their territories. This thesis argues that this propaganda effort was ultimately not the motivating factor for why Arabs supported Britain and the Allies or quieted their outward anti-British sentiments. Local elites in both Palestine and Bahrain sought to gain favor and status with the British for their own personal agendas, rather than allying with Britain due to successful propaganda policies