Title: Revolution, war, and propaganda to 1917 - Propaganda
Headings: Propaganda - Revolution, war, and propaganda to 1917
Propaganda - Revolution, war, and propaganda to 1917
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Content: The principle  differences between modern and ancient propaganda are the use of new  techniques and technologies, greater awareness of the utility of  propaganda, and perhaps also the sheer pervasiveness and volume of modern  propaganda. Although the concept is often associated with dictatorship, propaganda has  figured prominently in American life and history. Political propaganda has  been an essential ingredient of the democratic process, as politicians and  political parties have employed a range of communication techniques to win  public support for their ideas and policies. Similarly, countless private  groups—from early antislavery societies to modern political action  committees—have turned to propaganda techniques to push their  agendas. Advertising and public relations, fields that came into fruition  during the early twentieth century, have made commercial propaganda a  permanent feature of the cultural landscape. War propaganda has been  utilized by both government agencies and private groups to win the support  of neutrals, demoralize enemies, and energize domestic populations. The  pluralistic nature of American life and the existence of a free press has  prevented the emergence of a monolithic propaganda apparatus, but it could  be argued that these factors have in fact made American democracy better  equipped than totalitarian societies for effective propaganda, if only  because the free marketplace of ideas has required would-be propagandists  to develop ever more sophisticated means of persuasion. As far back as the colonial period, influential Americans exhibited a  remarkable grasp of propaganda techniques. Propaganda and agitation were  essential components of the American Revolution. Prior to the outbreak of  hostilities, propaganda played a pivotal role in creating the intellectual  and psychological climate of the Revolution itself.