2009/07/01 by Jonathan Reed Winkler · 3 citations
Social Sciences · #Intelligence, Security, War Strategy
paper · doi:10.1353/jmh.0.0324
openalex publication_date 2009/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Traditional narratives of World War I generally overlook a misunderstood but important part of the conflict: information warfare. Both Great Britain and Germany understood the significance of information as a force multiplier and as a valuable financial and diplomatic tool in the larger geostrategic environment. Britain's systematic wartime destruction of Germany's prewar network occurred on a much larger level than historians have recognized. Germany's simultaneous but hidden campaign against Allied communications has escaped historical notice. Greater understanding of this missing element, both in World War I and beyond, will deepen our understanding of the larger economic, political, intelligence, and military dimensions of modern conflict.