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Propaganda - 1PropagandaDavid TrenholmSociology 1006 CO22 March 2007
 
Propaganda - 2The term “propaganda” in today’s world conjures an assortment of disturbingimagery for the average North American—imagery like corrupt, malign governments pulling the collective strings of society, or images of the many manipulative, racist andaccusing advertisements that were often employed during World War I and World War II.Many North Americans identify propaganda, then, as an ill-intentioned, modern phenomena—a psychological tactic that had only seen use since the advent of radio,television and mass publication. Propaganda, however, has been in use since the dawn of recorded history; many governments and organizations around the world, and throughouthistory, have and still use propaganda to subvert nations, political entities and entire populations. It has only been in recent times where society has witnessed a change in theuse of propaganda, an alarming change that translates into an unprecedented evolution inits deployment and effectiveness. With the use of modern technology, propaganda and themonitored and filtered control of information has had an extraordinary affect on vast populations of people. With continuing advancements in communication technology, propaganda has undergone a radical transformation in its execution. Governments nowhave at their disposal a broad range of media in order to reach the many eyes and ears of their public; be it with newspaper, television, news programs or radio broadcasts.Employing the use of mass media—a popular vehicle for filtered information—has become a favourite among many governments across the globe, including manyfreethinking, western democratic nations. The affects of such sensitive orchestrations onthe populace is quite noticeable, whether it be a subtle, minor filtering of information, or the more blunt, loquacious variety; such cases, in either form, are easily witnessed whenexamining examples in history, the most obvious being World War I and World War II. So
 
Propaganda - 3great its impact on the German population, Hitler, a skilled orator, and an employer of skilled propagandists, was able to draw in vast amounts of political support in a relatively brief span of time. Cunning propaganda campaigns among allied countries at the time,even in pre-war America, were effective in curtailing both financial and militaristicsupport for the war effort. And yet, could a beneficial angle of such tactics be considered?Is there an advantage in using propaganda? One must critically look at the distinction between propaganda, and its more benign cousin, persuasion. The subtle differences between these two varieties are key in determining whether or not an act of propagandaor persuasion is justified, and there are many examples in history that can be used. Inmany cases such discussions are simply reduced to a simple question; that being a criticalinquiry into the supposed balance between a democracy’s ability to think and act, and agovernment’s responsibility to lead their nation into the future while at the same timeachieving noticeable results.Propaganda is a technique that has been in use since the beginning of recordedhistory. Governments and political bodies have employed some variety of psychologicalwarfare as a means to achieve some kind of result—be it domestically, or internationally.Far before the introduction of radio and television, propaganda had been in use in theform of the written and spoken word. William III of Orange, the Stadtholder of the DutchRepublic in the late 17
th
century, had launched an extensive propaganda campaign inEngland, quite a few years before he planned to take the English throne for himself (Claydon, 2002). Using posters, letters, and cleverly planted supporters that had the ear of key parliamentary members, William III was able to subvert the influence of the currentEnglish monarch, Charles. Naturally, with the advent of radio and television, the use of 
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