How Edith Cavell's execution damaged Germany's credibility

Did British fear of German occupation in 1940 grow from First World War events as well as propaganda?

Yes; propaganda magnified real actions such as Edith Cavell's execution, and Germany's politically costly choices made later reassurances less credible.

Effective propaganda often begins with a real event and enlarges it into a broader public belief. Germany's execution of nurse Edith Cavell during the First World War is the example here. An action might be defended under the contemporary law of war and still be a disastrous political choice. Commuting the sentence would have denied opponents a powerful symbol, whereas carrying it out damaged trust in later German assurances. The watch point connects legal authority, strategic communication, and the long afterlife of occupation fears.