Propaganda
Listen to "Propaganda"
Propaganda has been used in war since the beginning of war itself. Alexander the Great used it, Genghis Khan used it, the Catholic Church used it, the American Founding Fathers used it, Joesph Goebbels of Nazi Germany used it, and the United States currently uses it.
There are three types of propaganda: white, grey, and black.
There are many techniques for propaganda, including: assertion, bandwagon, card stacking, glittering generalities, lesser of two evils, name calling, pinpointing the enemy, plain folks, testimonials, and transfers.
For more information, read:
World Book (1992): P
Foreign Affairs (May/June 2006): Saddam’s Delusions
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/proptech.htm
http://en.thinkexist.com/quotations/propaganda/
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Propaganda
Military History Magazine: June 2002
Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General and International Research and Publishing Corporation
Propaganda has been used in war since the beginning of war itself. Alexander the Great used it, Genghis Khan used it, the Catholic Church used it, the American Founding Fathers used it, Joesph Goebbels of Nazi Germany used it, and the United States currently uses it.
There are three types of propaganda: white, grey, and black.
There are many techniques for propaganda, including: assertion, bandwagon, card stacking, glittering generalities, lesser of two evils, name calling, pinpointing the enemy, plain folks, testimonials, and transfers.
For more information, read:
World Book (1992): P
Foreign Affairs (May/June 2006): Saddam’s Delusions
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/proptech.htm
http://en.thinkexist.com/quotations/propaganda/
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Propaganda
Military History Magazine: June 2002
Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General and International Research and Publishing Corporation
posted by George Hageman at 2:05 PM
3 Comments:
I found myself cringing with this episode more than any other.
If I may point out one example, George said that Luther's posting of his 95 theses on the door at Wittenburg was an example of propoganda. I would like to know why he thought this was a good example (and certainly it is not an example of military propoganda).
It was the practice of the time for academics to post topics for debate on the door. Luther wrote up 95 theses for debate among scholars. He was surprised to find that non-scholars had published his theses for the masses and that it had caused such a firestore.
So, I don't think he was trying to give a one-sided argument (part of the definition of propoganda), but to suggest some points for debate, and in the form of propositions.
Also, is something propoganda (i.e. one-sided) if it's part of public discourse? For example, during a debate, you are not obliged to make the argument for your opponent. Is that propoganda?
Hi George,
Thoroughly enjoyed your podcast on propaganda. Something interesting to add. In the Sovjet Union during the Civil War (1917-1921) trainwagons converted into cinema theatres were used to tour the vast country and persuade the inhabitants of all the benefits of bolsjevism. Cinema was a popular art form, it appealed particularly to the working classes, and in the countryside provided a new experience for the peasants. It represented the modernism that was an essential part of Bolshevik ideas.
There was one on display at the Museum Of Moving Image (MOMI) in London about a decade ago but unfortionatly the museum has been closed.
More on this can be found on this if you search the internet and type in "agitprop".
George:
In your podcast, you indicated that World War II was the advent of serious national propaganda. Let me suggest that you have overlooked the First World War. Notably in the US, there is the Committee for Public Information, or the Creel Commisssion as it is often called for the leader of the group, George Creel. The CPI was a very impactful group, turning America against the "Hun" and against all things German. Recall the nation was not unified with the British cause at the outset, and a sizable minority, particularly in the upper midwest, was of Germanic ancestry or sympathy. There were also tremendous propaganda efforts by the British to influence Americans to join in with the Allies. Notably, as you cited Noam Chomsky, he is particularly mindful of the impact of the Creel Commission as one of the major origins of modern government propaganda.
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