Propaganda Institutionalized / Psychological Warfare

A brief overview of propaganda in 20th Century (chapters 3 and 5)

Mass society and propaganda

Growth of new audiences and mass media (e.g., newspapers in Jacksonian democracy in 1800s)

Growing concerns (late 19th / beginning of 20th century)

Higher reach of print media Film Radio Domestic and foreign propaganda Advertisement

The Print Media (from late 19th cent.)

General circulation dailies In 1830 = 65 dailies and 500 weeklies In 1870 – about 500 papers (circ. 2.6 m) In 1900 – almost 2000 dailies and 12,000

weeklies (circ. 15 m)

Media BaronsLate 1800s: massive circulation battle

William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World Saturday Evening Post, Atlantic Monthly,

Harper’s Weekly, The Nation

Hearst’s New York Journal

Yellow journalism and the Spanish-American War

When an artist Frederic Remington telegrammed Hearst to tell him all was quiet in Cuba and "There will be no war," Hearst responded "Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war." (Historians believe that no such telegrams ever were sent)

Film Tearing Down the Spa

nish Flag (1898)

Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein, 1926)

Odessa steps sequence… (and variation from Untouchables (1987)

Alexander Nevsky (Eisenstein, 1938)

.

Film

Triumph of the Will (Reifensthal, 1935) Why We Fight (Capra, 1942-45)

Film: propaganda or not?

John Wayne’s movies? Salvador? JFK? Top Gun? Michael Moore’s movies?

Radio / Television / Internet

Voice of America Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty Radio Marti Foreign radio propaganda (Moscow, North Korea,

China, BBC, German Radio, etc)

Early Government Propaganda in the U.S.:The Committee on Public Information

Trained "Four-Minute Men" speakers to urge their neighbors to buy Liberty Bonds, donate to the Red Cross or join the armed forces. Between 1917 and 1918, 75,000 Four-Minute Men and women made a total of 7,555,190 speeches in movie houses and other public functions

Recruited filmmakers to produce pro-war silent features

Developed posters urging people to buy bonds or enlist in the army. The most famous poster was "I Want You.“

Issued more than 6,000 news releases and 200,000 "lantern slide" shows. Its periodicals were sent to 600,000 teachers, Chambers of commerce, churches, fraternal societies, etc.

The Nazi Propaganda

Hitler’s Propaganda Principles Avoid abstract ideas—appeal to emotions Employ constant repetition of just a few ideas Use stereotypes / avoid objectivity Put forth only one side of the argument Constantly criticize enemies Identity one special enemy for special vilification

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

1. Propagandist must have access to intelligence concerning events and public opinion.

2. Propaganda must be planned and executed by only one authority.

3. The propaganda consequences of an action must be considered in planning that action.

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

4. Propaganda must affect the enemy's policy and action. a. By suppressing propagandistically desirable material which could be useful to the enemy b. By disseminating propaganda whose content or tone causes the enemy to draw the desired conclusions

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

6. To be perceived, propaganda must evoke the interest of an audience and must be transmitted through an attention-getting communications medium.

7. Credibility alone must determine whether propaganda output should be true or false.

Truth should be used as frequently as possible; otherwise the enemy might expose falsehood, and the credibility would suffer.

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

8. The purpose, content and effectiveness of enemy propaganda; the strength and effects of an expose; the nature of current propaganda campaigns determine whether enemy propaganda should be ignored or refuted.

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

11. Black rather than white propaganda may be employed when the latter is less credible or produces undesirable effects.

12. Propaganda may be facilitated by leaders with prestige.

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

13. Propaganda must be carefully timed. a. The communication must reach the audience ahead of competing propaganda. b. A propaganda campaign must begin at the optimum moment c. A propaganda theme must be repeated, but not beyond some point of diminishing effectiveness

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

14. Propaganda must label events and people with distinctive phrases or slogans. a. They must evoke desired responses which the audience previously possesses b. They must be capable of being easily learned c. They must be utilized again and again, but only in appropriate situations

Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda

18. Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.

The Soviet Propaganda

Totalitarian society: all aspects of life controlled by the Party

The Agitational-Propaganda Section

Massive Parades, celebrations, etc. Propaganda Abroad

WAR PROPAGANDA:From World War II to the Present

The Korean War 1950-53 The Vietnam War 1965-1975 The 1991 Gulf War The Afghanistan and Iraq Wars