The Bryce report was considered to be a piece of propaganda during the First World War. It was a document written by James Bryce on behalf of Britain and looked into the German invasion of neutral Belgium on August 1914. German armies killed approximately 6,500 civilians throughout France and Belgium during the summer of 1914, these were given the name 'German atrocities' and fast became one of the biggest propaganda arguments of World War One. Bryce's report was documented as "Report of the Committee on Alleged German Outrages". Although the Bryce Report is a primary source and the content was largely correct, there were many trust issues with the report as it was heavily exaggerated the cruelty shown to woman and children. Many Belgian refugees made allegations against the German troops, claiming they had seen them commit brutal attacks on civilians. However, James Bryce was well known and respected amongst the government at this time and his report was deemed credible in the US. Due to its apparent credibility, it was taken as propaganda and portrayed the Germans in an evil light, compared to the Allie's who were seemingly much fairer in war. In retaliation, Germany released its 'White Book', which claimed that they were simply defending themselves against sniper activity. .
One of the key turning points in propaganda was conscription. In Britain, this was the first time conscription had seemed like the most necessary cause of action. In 1914 the British Army had approximately 710,000 men. However, Lord Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War, realised that the army was in fact still small in comparison with France and Germany. It was through this realisation that he wanted to build an army containing 70 divisions. In August 2014, The British Government requested another 100,000 volunteers to come forward and by the end of September the number of the army had risen to 750,000 men.