Propaganda
From Metapedia
Propaganda is the dissemination of information aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviour of large numbers of people. In English, propaganda was originally a neutral word used to describe the dissemination of information in favour of any given cause. Early exponents were Saint Paul and the Twelve Apostles who went forth on foot preaching the gospel of Christ. They were very effective. Propaganda became a term of abuse much later, during the 20th Century.
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Early propaganda
Perhaps the first propagandists were the Jews who became Christians and spoke directly to people. Converting important people was a chosen technique because they had power and influence. That is why Saint Peter went to Rome, the seat of power at the the time. They spread the Bible but it was a hand written Bible in various languages. The Catholic Church had its headquarters in Rome so the Latin version was supreme. Latin was the language of educated men which meant that the illiterate majority only knew what they were being told. The Church had power over minds exercised through its priests.
Later efforts used the newly invented technology of printing. [Movable type] was developed in Germany around 1450 AD. Martin Luther translated the New Testament from the Greek in 1521-22 AD. This caused major disturbance in Europe and led to the Reformation.
Propaganda Venues
Propaganda can be spread through religion, education, the media and the Internet. Religious leaders claim moral superiority as a reason for putting their positions. Education is prone to be under government control and follow official policy. The media is owned by a small group of people who are suspected of malign intentions. The Internet is a vehicle for the rest of us.
Twentieth Century propaganda
Newspapers started to spread when paper and printing became less expensive and literacy became more common. The Times, one of the oldest was first published in 1785 AD, in England. The first editor was put in prison for libel. Telling people things did not always find favour.
Magazines came into being and were not necessarily distinct from newspapers. Modern papers are now daily while magazines are less frequent.
Radio began in 1909 and was sound only. It grew fast and achieved a peak, perhaps in the 1950s around the time that television took over.
Television became a mass medium after the Second World War. Early transmitting stations tended be under government control. They were aware that it had the potential to become a major propaganda weapon. Later commercial interests were allowed to transmit and to advertise. The first independent franchises in England were described with disarming candour as a a licence to print money
The Internet came along and seriously disturbed the status quo in the 1990s. The origin was DARPANET which started in 1969 AD but it took the weight of numbers to get it going.
Propaganda as manipulation
During the 20th Century, however, it became a term of abuse in western countries, because it was seen to mean the intentional dissemination of false, biassed and misleading claims to support or justify political actions or ideologies. This change of view came about because the Soviet Union and Germany's government under Hitler admitted explicitly to using propaganda favouring, respectively, communism and Nazism. The leading propagandist in Germany was Willi Münzenberg, a prominent member of the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands or Communist Party of Germany. He was an innovator in the field who gave the world Innocents Clubs full of Useful Idiots. It has always been understood that advertising is manipulation but it is transparent on the basic point; it is a way of enticing us to give our money.
Counter propaganda
God created Man. Sam Colt made him equal. The Internet gave him a voice.
Pictures as propaganda
External links
- Propaganda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Propaganda techniques - SourceWatch
- Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages
- Revealed: Britain's secret propaganda war against al-Qaida 26 Aug 2008 from The Guardian
