Propaganda, profit, and remembrance : the role of postage and Cinderella stamps of New Zealand and Australia relating to the First World War : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2023-12-06
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Massey University
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Abstract
The representation and interpretation of the events of the First World War and its aftermath through Cinderella stamps, and definitive and commemorative postage stamps, offer an alternative approach to the study of First World War history. This thesis examines the role of such stamps from the perspective of New Zealand and Australia during the period 1914-2018. By studying these historic documents, as primary source material, much can be learned about fund raising for the war, the developing patterns of war remembrance and the post-war changes in the self-image of both countries.
The specific approach adopted in this study was to pose three research questions in order to gain insight into the role of the various forms of stamps in providing direct information about matters relevant to or resulting from the First World War. Specifically addressed was the use of stamps for fundraising and propaganda purposes. A further question inquired as to whether postage stamps and Cinderella stamps play a part in war remembrance and especially at the time of the First World War Centenary between 2014 and 2018. Thirdly, did stamps reflected any changes in self-image and self-identity in the two countries over the one-hundred-year period from the onset of the war.
The methodology employed involved a wide search for all the relevant postage and Cinderella stamps issued over the last one hundred years in New Zealand and Australia, and any Cinderella stamps that were known to have circulated in both countries during the study period. In addition, archival studies were carried out in both countries for material linking postage and Cinderella stamps to the First World War. Further investigations related to the origins and rationale for the release of the identified stamps.
Cinderella stamps played an important role in the raising of funds for soldiers’ welfare during the First World War. New Zealand used postage stamps as a means of raising funds for the war effort, while Australia simply raised postal rates overall as a war tax. Cinderella stamps also played a role in the dissemination of propaganda, more so in Australia than New Zealand. Postage and Cinderella stamps can reflect societal change and have mirrored the developing self-images of New Zealand and Australia. Remembrance of the war by commemorative stamps was limited during the first seventy-five years following the war. Prior to and during the centenary of the First World War, there was a massive output of stamps directed at recalling the effects of the war on both societies and remembrance of the fallen.
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Commemorative postage stamps, New Zealand, Australia, Postage stamps, Patriotism, History, 20th century, World War, 1914-1918, Cinderella materials (Philately), Postage stamps as propaganda