ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the First World War, politicians and publicists struggled to define a new image for Britain as they came to terms with a world in which its economic and imperial dominance was increasingly called into question. In 1932 Sir Stephen Tallents, a visionary propagandist who was then serving as secretary of the Empire Marketing Board, warned fellow countrymen of the danger of neglecting the projection of national personality. In the altered circumstances of the post-war world, self-promotion abroad was, he proclaimed, imperative if Britain were to continue to play a significant international role. In identifying those attributes of national character that appealed most strongly to other countries, Tallents cited such institutions as the monarchy and the navy, cultural icons like the English Bible, Shakespeare and Dickens, and qualities like the tradition of justice and the reputation for fair play. Britain should 'project upon the screen of world opinion such a picture of herself as will create a belief in her ability to serve the world under the new order as she served it under the old' .1
