What is "propaganda"?
Propaganda is arguably one of the most misunderstood instruments of power. Since the First World War, when the American and British public reacted in anger to what they perceived as the excesses of early propagandists, the term has come to have a severe pejorative connotation in English. But in its truest sense, propaganda is simply persuasive communication.
The word itself derives from the Latin verb propagare, meaning "to propagate" or "to spread." The word was primarily used in the context of farming or horticulture until 1622, when Pope Gregory XV created the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, or "Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith" -- essentially a missionary body.
Nevertheless, the concept of the political use of information as persuasion or to otherwise affect the cognitive narrative of a mass audience is nearly as old as politics itself. Despite the bad name it has acquired thanks to its use for unjust ends, propaganda remains as neutral a tool of power as diplomacy, espionage, or military action. Used justly, and for just ends, it remains a key means of conveying meaningful, truthful messages to the world.
This page contains links to a wide variety of seminal writings on the theory and practice of propaganda.
Edward Bernays (1891-1995)
Sometimes called the "father of public relations," Edward Bernays not only wrote extensively on theoretical aspects of persuading mass audiences but was responsible for some of the most influential advertising campaigns of the 20th century. Bernays, nephew of the groundbreaking psychotherapist Sigmund Freud, is perhaps best known as the creator of the "American breakfast" of bacon and eggs and the popular acceptance of smoking by women. His writings remain firmly in the canon of propaganda literature today.
Works by Bernays
Register of Bernays's Papers in the Library of Congress
Propaganda (1928)
Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923)
Public Relations, Edward L. Bernays and the American Scene (an annotated bibliography; 1951)
Works about Bernays
"Visiting Edward Bernays," by Stuart Ewen
"Freud's Nephew and the Origins of Public Relations," by Alix Spiegel
George Creel (1876-1953)
Creel, a journalist and pamphleteer, is best known for his service during the First World War as the chief of the United States Committee on Public Information.
Wilson and the Issues (1916)
The War, the World, and Wilson (1920)
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