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An unworkable policy which encourages the enemy to fight to the last gasp: The depiction in British and American newspapers of the Allied policy of unconditional surrender for Germany, 1943-1945

Luckhurst, Tim (2014) An unworkable policy which encourages the enemy to fight to the last gasp: The depiction in British and American newspapers of the Allied policy of unconditional surrender for Germany, 1943-1945. Journalism Studies, 15 . pp. 1-17. ISSN 1461-670X. E-ISSN 1469-9699. (doi:10.1080/1461670X.2014.944367) (KAR id:42234)

Abstract

Part of a project to present case studies of newspaper treatment of significant political controversy during the Second World War, this example considers reporting and analysis of the western allies’ insistence that Germany must surrender unconditionally. Political and military critics attributed to the policy of unconditional surrender the power to prolong German resistance and increase the death toll among servicemen and civilians. German opponents of Hitler believed it undermined their cause. Recent scholarship has explored connections between the demand for Germany’s complete capitulation and the origins of the Cold War. This paper examines a structured sample of newspaper coverage of the policy in Britain and the United States. It describes the controversies that surround it and discerns through qualitative content analysis the extent to which newspapers placed them in the public sphere.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1080/1461670X.2014.944367
Uncontrolled keywords: Casablanca Conference; Chicago Daily Tribune; Manchester Guardian; The Economist; The New York Times; The Times; unconditional surrender
Subjects: E History America > E151 United States (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > Centre for Journalism
Depositing User: Tim Luckhurst
Date Deposited: 11 Aug 2014 08:37 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Feb 2021 12:54 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/42234 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Luckhurst, Tim.

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