Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes
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- Author：Jacques Ellul
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Summary
"A far more frightening work than any of the nightmare novels of George Orwell。 With the logic which is the great instrument of French thought， [Ellul] explores and attempts to prove the thesis that propaganda， whether its ends are demonstrably good or bad， is not only destructive to democracy， it is perhaps the most serious threat to humanity operating in the modern world。"
--Los Angeles Times
"The theme of Propaganda is quite simply。。。that when our new technology encompasses any culture or society， the result is propaganda。。。 Ellul has made many splendid contributions in this book。"
--Book Week
"An exhaustive catalog of horrors。 It shows how modern， committed man， surrounded and seized by propaganda， more often than not surrenders himself to it only too willingly， especially in democracies--because he is educated for his rule as dupe。 'The most favorable moment to seize a man and influence him，' Ellul writes， 'is when he is alone in the mass; it is at this point that propaganda can be most effective。 This is the situation of the 'lonely crowd，' or of isolation in the mass， which is a natural product of modern-day society， which is both used and deepened by the mass media。' "
--Los Angeles Free Press
--Los Angeles Times
"The theme of Propaganda is quite simply。。。that when our new technology encompasses any culture or society， the result is propaganda。。。 Ellul has made many splendid contributions in this book。"
--Book Week
"An exhaustive catalog of horrors。 It shows how modern， committed man， surrounded and seized by propaganda， more often than not surrenders himself to it only too willingly， especially in democracies--because he is educated for his rule as dupe。 'The most favorable moment to seize a man and influence him，' Ellul writes， 'is when he is alone in the mass; it is at this point that propaganda can be most effective。 This is the situation of the 'lonely crowd，' or of isolation in the mass， which is a natural product of modern-day society， which is both used and deepened by the mass media。' "
--Los Angeles Free Press
Reviews
Jeroen
，
although most of the content of this book is common sense， it's very comprehensive and the author takes an objective point of view which benefits the reading experience although most of the content of this book is common sense， it's very comprehensive and the author takes an objective point of view which benefits the reading experience 。。。more
Keahn Bruzzi
，
Ellul is remarkably less erudite than he believes he is。
Sean
，
This was worth a read。 His definitions are thorough and despite it being 60-some odd years old， the subject matter feels very relevant。
Ekfyis
，
Chances are， if you're someone （like me） who has used the Internet for quite awhile， it's probable that you'll spend your time thinking "no shit" when reading each page Chances are， if you're someone （like me） who has used the Internet for quite awhile， it's probable that you'll spend your time thinking "no shit" when reading each page 。。。more
Alberto
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Incredible outline/framework of propaganda in the Modern era。 Ellul is critical of many political ideologies not for the sake of disagreeing， but for their employment of propaganda。At the core of Ellul's outline is the assertion that propaganda functions to integrate individuals into organizations and to motivate action。 It plays on existing cultural myths， symbols， stereotypes and ideologies to make sense of complex issues， to provide justifications for actions， and to give meaning to people's Incredible outline/framework of propaganda in the Modern era。 Ellul is critical of many political ideologies not for the sake of disagreeing， but for their employment of propaganda。At the core of Ellul's outline is the assertion that propaganda functions to integrate individuals into organizations and to motivate action。 It plays on existing cultural myths， symbols， stereotypes and ideologies to make sense of complex issues， to provide justifications for actions， and to give meaning to people's lives （among other things）。Whereas Bernay's "Propaganda" served as a rudimentary overview from a PR perspective， Ellul's "Propaganda" is much denser and focuses mainly on political propaganda， primarily using Lenin， Hitler， Stalin， Mao， and "America" as case studies。 Ellul also goes in on other ideas such as formation of public opinion， dissemination of propaganda through mass media， technology's role， etc。It was really a wonderful book and a must-read for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of propaganda。 While I'm not taking as gospel， it's definitely opened my eyes to just how many forces are acting to influence the masses and our ideas。 。。。more
João Vítor
，
Foundational piece to understand modern propaganda。
Nicholas Rentas
，
I read it threw times。 Written in 1965， it is still relevant many decades later。 It is a well-cited book。 It is without a doubt a major work in the propaganda field。
Steven
，
The nerd I pay $4。95/mo to do my homework for me covered this book。 He's probably also why the audiobook came to be， since any book he mentions gets a big bump in interest。 Anyways: this book is the much less commonly recommended Propaganda book。 As everyone knows， the Bernays book is much more widely recommended and read。 I think that's unfortunate， since the Bernays book is much more dated and flimsy than this one is。 That's also why it was less than ideal to listen to （information density）。 S The nerd I pay $4。95/mo to do my homework for me covered this book。 He's probably also why the audiobook came to be， since any book he mentions gets a big bump in interest。 Anyways: this book is the much less commonly recommended Propaganda book。 As everyone knows， the Bernays book is much more widely recommended and read。 I think that's unfortunate， since the Bernays book is much more dated and flimsy than this one is。 That's also why it was less than ideal to listen to （information density）。 Still doable， but not the best idea。 Ellul establishes a number of pre-requisites for propaganda to effectively function， which， when combined with individual differences， would probably go a ways further。 Knowing about those traits already， was of benefit to me in getting someone out of reading this， but wouldn't be necessary。 Overall， it was very worth an audible credit， since it puts a number of things into the same place and it was done by someone plugged into how governments actually work。A related and short political philosophy work that would help you get the value in this book would be Discourse on the Voluntary Servitude by Boetie which the Mises Institute distributes for free with a foreword by Rothbard。 。。。more
Brvno
，
Apesar de escrito nos anos 60， continua actual na sua maior parte， e lendo este livro dá para perceber como é que temos hoje em dia uma massa populacional toda aterrada com medo de um vírus que basicamente não mata mais que a gripe comum。
Hartley
，
"Propaganda is the true remedy for loneliness。""Propaganda's artificial and unreal answers for modern man's psychological suffering are [akin to dulling the pain in an alcoholic's liver so that they can keep drinking]: they allow him to continue living abnormally under the conditions in which society places him。 Propaganda suppresses the warning signals that anxieties， maladjustments， rebellions， and demands once supplied。 "Not only is propaganda itself a technique， it is also an indispensable c "Propaganda is the true remedy for loneliness。""Propaganda's artificial and unreal answers for modern man's psychological suffering are [akin to dulling the pain in an alcoholic's liver so that they can keep drinking]: they allow him to continue living abnormally under the conditions in which society places him。 Propaganda suppresses the warning signals that anxieties， maladjustments， rebellions， and demands once supplied。 "Not only is propaganda itself a technique， it is also an indispensable condition for the development of technical progress and the establishment of a technological civilization。""Propaganda must be continuous and longlasting - continuous in that it must not leave any gaps， but must fill the citizen's whole day and all his days; lasting in that it must function over a very long period of time。""In any event， one cannot possibly say: we act in order to preserve man's freedom。 For propaganda， regardless of origin， destroy's man's personality and freedom。"What is propaganda？ It is scientific in its use of sociology and psychology， scientific in its tried and tested rules， scientific in the way its effects are measured and analyzed。 It is aimed at individuals， but only insofar as these individuals compose the undifferentiated mass， the lonely crowed "which is a natural product of present-day society and which is both used and deepened by mass media。" It is a worldview， a myth， it is propagated by political parties as well as governments， and， ultimately， it is a method of diffusion necessarily totalitarian regardless of content。 Democratic propaganda creates a totalitarian man。 Ellul is careful to break down propaganda into its various processes and variants。 There is pre-propaganda， "which， without direct or noticeable aggression， is limited to creating ambiguities， reducing prejudices， and spreading images， apparently without purpose。" American movies are vehicles for the American "Way of Life。" There is overt propaganda and covert propaganda， a simple enough difference to understand。 There is integration propaganda and agitation propaganda。 Integration propaganda helps accustom someone to their situation。 This is the propaganda necessary for the functioning of industrial society， considering how inimical it and many of its values are to the Natural Man （Work being a prime example）。 Integration propaganda is considered more effective the more "comfortable， cultivated， and informed" is the audience to which it is addressed。 Agitation propaganda demands immediate action: it prepares the people for war， for revolution， for great leaps or great atrocities。 Something Ellul characterizes as a common misconception of propaganda is that it is meant to make an individual *think* something。 In fact， the point of propaganda is to force a person to act， regardless of what he thinks。 He notes that we are living in a time in which "action and thought are being separated，" a time when psychologists have confirmed that "there is not necessarily any continuity between conviction and action and no intrinsic rationality in opinions and acts。" Propaganda， naturally， cannot create something out of nothing。 Even exceptional propaganda cannot convince a red-blooded democratic American to support tyranny intellectually。 What it can do， however， is convince them to vote a genuine tyrant in at the ballot box， while still audibly championing freedom。 This is the separation of thought and action。 That propaganda is so effective lies in the status of our society as being， somewhat paradoxically， an individual and a mass society。 Ellul defines the mass society as that with "considerable population density in which local structures and organizations are weak， currents of opinion are strongly felt， men are grouped into large and influential collectives， the individual is part of these collectives， and a certain psychological unity exists。" The individual as been liberated from the constraints of the small groups that make up the milieu of feudal society， but this liberation has come with an incredible burden for now he has become himself the measure of all things。 He is more learned than his recent ancestors， but it is， in fact， this learning that makes him more susceptible to propaganda rather than better able to defend against it。 The feudal man would have had no knowledge of far-flung aggressors and would have resisted strongly any effort to dispatch him to fight them; the modern man has learned and forgotten much about this menace but the remaining impression has made him quite susceptible to an agitation propaganda that would prompt him to enlist "of his own free will。" That is not to say that propaganda lies， that it uses false information to persuade the citizen。 Far from it， even Goebbels sought to stick to the truth wherever possible。 It is in the interpretation of facts that propaganda acts， an especially critical function given the deluge of disconnected information the modern person is flooded with day after day。 As someone tries to stay informed "a world emerges that is astonishingly incoherent， absurd， and irrational， which changes rapidly and constantly for reasons he cannot understand。" This is what makes the educated person with a minimum level of culture far more susceptible to propaganda than the average peasant。 What modern man receives from propaganda are "all embracing， simple explanations and massive， doctinal causes， without which we could not live with the news。" The Soviets are evil， that is why they act as they do。 Islamists hate our freedom。 So on and so forth。 The modern man is lonely， ever seeking and failing to grasp something deep and meaningful in the slaughterhouse of the Western world。 He is lonely in the crowd， taught to wait until told to act and robbed of much of his initiative， made to feel unimportant by his dependence on the large structures and resources （public transportation， city services， his employer， etc。） and thus desires to be the hero， to demonstrate his importance。 Propaganda allows people to feel like the hero， it creates the Nazi "Superman" even as that man's need for heroism allows him to be further pressed into the service of forces beyond his control。 Certainly those who sieged the capital must have felt like story-book heroes; they were proud to show their faces to the cameras and assert their existence。 The individual needs propaganda just as the state does。 The state needs propaganda because the sacrifices it demands of the citizenry are greater than they have ever been at any point in history。 As Ellul states， "The sacrifices demanded by political life keep increasing and affect everybody: therefor everybody wants to participate in this game， which affects him directly。" The people want to be involved in government， but the solution to this isn't "mob government。" It is the creation of a propaganda which gives "people the feeling - which they crave and which satisfies the， "to have wanted what the government is doing， to be responsible for its actions， to be involved in defending them and making them succeed， to be 'with it。'" I'm not totally familiar with Chomsky but I believe this is essentially what he refers to as "manufacturing consent。" We can see that propaganda can make people do a variety of things but what might be even more important is what propaganda itself does to people， regardless of its particular ideological content or embedded worldview。 According to Ellul， propaganda "strips the individual， robs him of part of himself， and makes him live an alien and artificial life， to such an extent that he becomes another person and obeys impulses foreign to him。 He obeys someone else。" His latent prejudices are inflamed and crystallized。 But who is this someone else？ It is the hero， and "this exaltation of the hero proves that one lives in a mass society。 The individual who is prevented by circumstances from becoming a real person， who can no longer express himself through personal thought or action， who finds his aspirations frustrated， projects onto the hero all he would wish to be。" Trump was a hero。 So are movie stars， so are influencers。 Influencers are often derided for not contributing positively to society but I would argue they serve a critical function of keeping society stable。 That is not to say that this particular stable society is good for the human spirit， it is in fact inimical to it。 Hence the need for propaganda， for re-education。 What are the socio-political effects？ Well， for one "the more propaganda there is the more partitioning there is。" As propaganda partitions people， while at the same time transcending the groupings， it renders the distance between them wider and wider。 As Ellul states， "Different facts are given to different people， the bases of judgement are diverse， the orientations are opposites; there is no longer a meeting point within the confines of the same propaganda。" I'd like to emphasize that Ellul is talking about a "single" propaganda here。 Political parties are structured vertically with minimal horizontal contacts for this exact reason。 What matters not is why the farmer， the banker， the CEO， and the truck driver vote Republican; what matters is that they do and that whatever assertions needed for each subgroup are mustered in their appropriate media， even if these assertions contradict one another。 Transitioning into political parties， it is interesting that even in Ellul's time， he was able to notice that "for about a dozen years now [the political parties of the United States] have been making systematic propaganda。" Power is personalized and vast resources are marshalled in service of wielding the masses to accomplish political objectives。 It leads to a bipartite structure and a stifling of genuine innovation。 It is， as Ellul argues forcefully throughout this book， wholly inimal to genuine democracy which is more of a way of life than an ideology。 。。。more
Jacob
，
Good perspective on propaganda — what it does， how it affects people， what conditions must exist for it to thrive， and so forth。 Very dry （what a shock）， but if you have an interest in propaganda you'll find powering through the bland bits easy。 Good perspective on propaganda — what it does， how it affects people， what conditions must exist for it to thrive， and so forth。 Very dry （what a shock）， but if you have an interest in propaganda you'll find powering through the bland bits easy。 。。。more
Flutlicht
，
Brilliant book about the philosophy of propaganda， much more general than Bernays or Lippmann， but also more difficult to read。 The translation from French is good， but complex， the font is rather small and the print wasn't the best， either。In the end I am happy I finished reading this important book， but it is not the right book to start studying the topic of propaganda。 You should certainly have some basic knowledge about the topic， before starting this work。The excellence of Ellul's thoughts Brilliant book about the philosophy of propaganda， much more general than Bernays or Lippmann， but also more difficult to read。 The translation from French is good， but complex， the font is rather small and the print wasn't the best， either。In the end I am happy I finished reading this important book， but it is not the right book to start studying the topic of propaganda。 You should certainly have some basic knowledge about the topic， before starting this work。The excellence of Ellul's thoughts is reflected in the numerous brilliant quotes which you can also find on goodreads: https://www。goodreads。com/work/quotes。。。 。。。more
Adam Lee
，
"Let us recall some frequently analysed traits of the man who lives in the Western world and is plunged into its overcrowded population; let us accept as a premise that he is more susceptible to suggestion， more credulous， more easily excited。 Above all he is a victim of emptiness- he is a man devoid of meaning。 He is very busy， but he is emotionally empty， open to all entreaties and in search of only one thing - something to fill his inner void。 He seeks some deeper and more fulfilling attracti "Let us recall some frequently analysed traits of the man who lives in the Western world and is plunged into its overcrowded population; let us accept as a premise that he is more susceptible to suggestion， more credulous， more easily excited。 Above all he is a victim of emptiness- he is a man devoid of meaning。 He is very busy， but he is emotionally empty， open to all entreaties and in search of only one thing - something to fill his inner void。 He seeks some deeper and more fulfilling attraction。 He is available and ready to listen to propaganda。 He is the lonely man， and he larger the crowd in which he lives， the more isolated he is。 Despite the pleasures he might derive from his solitude， he suffers deeply from it。 He feels the most violent need to be reintegrated into a community， to have a setting， to experience ideological and affective communication。 That loneliness inside the crows is perhaps the most terrible ordeal of modern man; that loneliness in which he can share nothing， talk to nobody， and expect nothing from anybody。 " 。。。。。。 。。。more
Lisa
，
A bit of a dry read， but still very interesting。 Certainly thought provoking though it makes me wonder how many of my own thoughts I really have left！
David
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I highly recommend this book， with some reservations。 Most notably， I found his definition of propaganda to be imperfect， being both overly complex and needlessly limited。 His exploration of the subject is worthwhile， though。
Carl
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Highly intellectual & surprisingly up-to-date & relevant analysis of the art & science of propaganda。 The author discusses US & western European， Nazi German， the Soviet under Lenin， Stalin & Krushchev， & Chinese under Mao propaganda， how it affects its targets & its effectiveness。 He further discusses the uses & necessity of propaganda under democratic systems。 This is not an easy read but it does contain numerous gems of wisdom。
Nigel Shenton
，
https://sentonator。blogspot。com/2020/。。。Reading this cause， I notice a conservative read a centralized book。 Just as it happens， I'll have to go over it again。 Female to。male。bot。abuse to hard gander for lame review on my reading mid-winter lost the book。 Quite frustrating that mid winter， this book could be anywhere in my paper book dog eared book pile that I can't do find the note。 Read again when one sees it。Back of book says stuff If you have heard of the indoctrination of hate of 1984Look a https://sentonator。blogspot。com/2020/。。。Reading this cause， I notice a conservative read a centralized book。 Just as it happens， I'll have to go over it again。 Female to。male。bot。abuse to hard gander for lame review on my reading mid-winter lost the book。 Quite frustrating that mid winter， this book could be anywhere in my paper book dog eared book pile that I can't do find the note。 Read again when one sees it。Back of book says stuff If you have heard of the indoctrination of hate of 1984Look at this book，Better than 1984 for a dystopia。More relevant for reality or how 1984 is object for reality。I debate about enunciated discussion for a linguistic debate on culture today one could dare to read to get through。 。。。more
Eduardo Goye
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Despite having a few moments of clarity and interesting analysis， this book can only be a real red-pill text if you are utterly convinced that what you see on the media is the absolute truth。 If you have any kind of ability to question your environment， most of Ellul's claims will seem obvious。 The repetitive style in which is written forces you to read the same ideas over and over， dragging through a text that could have been several hundred pages shorter。The author's anti-communist sentiment i Despite having a few moments of clarity and interesting analysis， this book can only be a real red-pill text if you are utterly convinced that what you see on the media is the absolute truth。 If you have any kind of ability to question your environment， most of Ellul's claims will seem obvious。 The repetitive style in which is written forces you to read the same ideas over and over， dragging through a text that could have been several hundred pages shorter。The author's anti-communist sentiment is so strong that inevitably permeates into terrible philosophical inaccuracies and the author's impossibility to analyse Marxism without the USSR dictatorship and its propaganda。 Anybody who is a bit versed on the topic will experience many facepalm moments。 Ellul was a self-proclaimed "Christian anarchist" which could nowadays be translated as a conservative liberal: The main discourse of the book is a praise of the individual （being an individual is "the only way" to stand against propaganda， for him。） Thus supporting one part of a dichotomy: individual vs collective。 By praising the individual， Ellul is ditching the most important aspect of the anarchist tradition: Mutual aid。 Ellul's ideas go against anarchism itself， and emerge in close proximity with neoliberal propaganda， where individual reigns supreme。Ellul is so blinded by his own ideology， that the 'solution' he poses to the problem of propaganda is， actually， just another result of the propaganda machinery he imagines himself being immune to。 Ellul blindly accepts the capitalist mode of appropriation and State violence， instead of questioning and dismantling the propaganda that conditioned him to support and believe in such a model in the first place。 。。。more
Zack
，
I often tell people that if I could force every person to read one single book， it would be Ellul's Propaganda。 Nowhere else have I found so succinct， frightening， and yet hopeful a view of media and propaganda's effect on society and the individual。 Some have told me that they find Ellul's outlook to be outdated and irrelevant to our contemporary moment， but I adamantly disagree， and even if some of his specific examples have aged， he still raises some significant questions that need answered b I often tell people that if I could force every person to read one single book， it would be Ellul's Propaganda。 Nowhere else have I found so succinct， frightening， and yet hopeful a view of media and propaganda's effect on society and the individual。 Some have told me that they find Ellul's outlook to be outdated and irrelevant to our contemporary moment， but I adamantly disagree， and even if some of his specific examples have aged， he still raises some significant questions that need answered by anyone hoping to responsibly and carefully live in a mediated age in a democratic society。 Having re-read the book for what is now （I think） my fourth time， I can say with absolute certainty that I still believe this book to be necessary reading for almost everybody。 。。。more
Manel
，
One of the most remarkable books I have ever read。 In the Era of fake news， Cambridge Analytica and social networks understanding the power of propaganda is utterly necessary。 The book was first published in 1965 yet it remains absolutely current。
Cobramor
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I little academic at times and somewhat dated， but a brilliant masterpiece all the same。 This is a truly sociollogical view on propaganda and how it adapts in order to achieve it's own means， with a sort of Situationist scent。 I little academic at times and somewhat dated， but a brilliant masterpiece all the same。 This is a truly sociollogical view on propaganda and how it adapts in order to achieve it's own means， with a sort of Situationist scent。 。。。more
Alexander Bragman
，
The book that finally made me realise democracy is not possible and not even desirable within today's context。 The best book I have ever read。 The book that finally made me realise democracy is not possible and not even desirable within today's context。 The best book I have ever read。 。。。more
Wilson Perez
，
An excellent work that captures the reality of modern society and the disease of mass urbanization/industrialization， the destruction of organic communities （and its resulting effects） and the rampant， psychological violence on contemporary society， on biblical levels， that would even make the ancient kings of Israel blush。
Marcell Simon
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The most mind-boggling， worldview-upending piece of writing I've ever encountered。 And it's sixty years old。 The logical progression is crystal clear， original， and devastating。 Ellul precisely employs sociology， history， philosophy， and （reluctantly） psychology。 As one reviewer said， it's *dense* in the best sense of the word: the ideas， not its language。 Any sentence- or paragraph-length synopsis fails。 Read it in one late， late night and you will be curled up， reeling， for days。 Forget 'Manuf The most mind-boggling， worldview-upending piece of writing I've ever encountered。 And it's sixty years old。 The logical progression is crystal clear， original， and devastating。 Ellul precisely employs sociology， history， philosophy， and （reluctantly） psychology。 As one reviewer said， it's *dense* in the best sense of the word: the ideas， not its language。 Any sentence- or paragraph-length synopsis fails。 Read it in one late， late night and you will be curled up， reeling， for days。 Forget 'Manufacturing Consent'—read this book。 。。。more
Sabine Berzina
，
For sure the most exciting， clear and all-encompassing thinking on propaganda I've come accross For sure the most exciting， clear and all-encompassing thinking on propaganda I've come accross 。。。more
Trevor （I sometimes get notified of comments）
，
Probably best you make yourself comfortable – as this is going to take some time。 A friend of Nell’s recommended this book when she shared my review of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism， ironically enough， on Facebook。 I’d never heard of Ellul before – at least， I don’t think I had。 He is a French Christian sociologist， but his ideas are much more interesting than those three adjectives might imply。We tend to think of propaganda in much the same way that we think of advertising。 We know it work Probably best you make yourself comfortable – as this is going to take some time。 A friend of Nell’s recommended this book when she shared my review of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism， ironically enough， on Facebook。 I’d never heard of Ellul before – at least， I don’t think I had。 He is a French Christian sociologist， but his ideas are much more interesting than those three adjectives might imply。We tend to think of propaganda in much the same way that we think of advertising。 We know it works on some people （and perhaps even worry that it might be terribly impolite to call those people dumb） but we， ourselves， would never fall for that rubbish。 So， while we quite understand that really， really bad things come from propaganda， that is mostly because is overflowing with dumb people。 Propaganda is believed to be about telling lies to gullible people， and doing so with lots of conviction， generally also by appealing to their prejudices， so as to bring about some change in their beliefs。 In large part this book is seeking to help us see that propaganda doesn’t work like this at all （or advertising for that matter）。Propaganda is much more insidious than that。 And this is where I’m going to have to highlight something that I had to disagree with the author about。 He says a couple of times that democracies engage in propaganda in reaction to totalitarian propaganda。 The line being that ‘if they are doing it， we need to do it too， however reluctantly’。 That this is not the case ought to be clear to a contemporary reader of this book。 Really， Soviet and Nazi propaganda are of little more than historical interest today – but to think that the end of these totalitarian societies has brought about the end of propaganda would be a very bold belief indeed。 I think his central thesis in this book really goes a long way to undermine the view that ‘democracies’ are fundamentally repulsed by propaganda and that they only do it because they are made to by otherwise anti-democratic forces。In fact， the rest of his argument makes it clear that propaganda is a necessary condition of modern society， rather than an added extra forced upon the good guys by the bad guys。Propaganda is a problem for the modern world created by it being a modern world。 It requires a certain level of the development of ‘civilisation’ to even be possible， and once it is possible， it basically becomes inevitable。 For propaganda to become part of our world people need to live in large societies， probably even nation states composed of multiple cities， they need to be literate （most of the modes of distributing propaganda are only available if people can read） and they need to live in a mass society that is also confronted by other mass societies – even if mass propaganda tends to talk to individuals as individuals， if， individuals as representatives of groups。 I want to go through these ideas in turn。So， why do they need to be in a large， mass society for propaganda to work？ Well， if you are in a tribal society you have virtually direct access to all of the news that your tribe generates， and community input into the decisions and more or less direct contact with the leaders of your community。 That pecking order doesn’t necessarily require a complicated system of voting – rather， authority and leadership develop through interactions within the tribe itself – they are lived， rather than needing to be indoctrinated via texts。 This intimacy of interaction is denied to those living in a mass society。 I kept thinking of that line， probably apocryphal， that someone was supposed to have said when the first telegram cable was laid between Europe and America: Oh， fabulous， now we won’t have to wait to learn how Princess Alexandra’s whooping cough is coming along。 The point being that most ‘news’ today is about matters that really don’t matter to us。 I’ve even started telling people that I’ve stopped believing that US actually exists – that it is either a fiction devised as a warning to the rest of us of the dangers of Presidential forms of democracy， or it is， what I actually believe， a kind of sit-com that got totally out of hand once the writers started taking LSD。It is truly remarkable how much attention we Australians pay to US and UK politics。 And it isn’t at all clear to me why we might do that。 As sad as it is that it seems impossible to change US gun laws， as long as US citizens are shooting their own kids， it isn’t clear why I should get so upset about it。 Now， if I was in Iraq， or Iran， or Yemen， then clearly the US would seem much more real to me。 But as it is， the US simulacrum is such that any time I spend thinking about Trump’s latest absurdity （has he gone back to having sex with Stormy Daniels yet？ Have US Evangelicals started grabbing women by the genitals as a form of metaphorical support for their Commander in Chief？） is basically time wasted。 But it is almost impossible to really think like that。 We need to believe that this is all real and all consequential to our lives and that by following the latest twists and turns somehow makes us ‘informed’。 All the same， many people I know have given up watching any news whatsoever。 This is because it makes them feel completely helpless and therefore depressed and anxious。 About that which you can do nothing， learning that fools and thieves are making matters worse is hardly the most direct pathway to mental health。The point being that in a mass society people are， by necessity， removed from what they take to be the key decision-making centres – and， although these may well be ultimately consequential to their lives， mostly they can go to work， buy stuff at the supermarket， and watch television for months on end without ‘needing’ to pay any attention at all to the machinations for ‘higher politics’。 Something which often upsets people like me when I mention something to people about the latest insanity （Scott Morrison denying his government used $250 Million in grants for sporting facilities in marginal to buy the last election for example） only to be met with glazed-over eyes or bewildered silence。 For this level of ignorance about what is going on to be the case a society must be large enough so that crowds are composed mostly of strangers。 You can only really safely ignore the ramblings of the powerful when you feel yourself to be a safe-ish cog in an otherwise impersonal machine。 But such a society also requires modes of communication that allow all members of that society to be reached if they need to be。 This obviously means newspapers in the first instance， but also radio， films， television， magazines – and clearly now social media also has an essential role in this ‘mass media’。 For someone to be able to interact with any of these modes they need a certain level of cultural education – and so a school system that indoctrinates （yeah， I know， a harsh word – but clearly certain forms of indoctrination are essential to the educative process） children by giving them the cultural tools they will need to properly navigate the society they have been born into。As he says at one point， for a society to become a mass society you need to be sure that the things that society mass-produces are going to be things that the masses are going to want to buy – here the distinctions between propaganda and advertising start to break down。 And that is a large part of the point。 Propaganda isn’t effective because it tells you a big lie often enough that you start believing it – it is effective when it makes a worldview seem pure common sense。 Mass societies often find themselves in competition with other mass societies。 This was truer， I feel， when the author was writing than it is now。 We live largely in a mono-pole world – books like Capitalist Realism make this all too clear。 But the need for an enemy is interesting here， since an enemy is often the quickest and easiest way to unite people within a group。 And because people tend to segment themselves according to their life experiences， including the forms of culture they expose themselves to， the newspapers they read， television channels they watch， the social media sites they visit。 This means both that propaganda needs to be appropriate to each of these segments， but also that it can be significantly different depending on membership of those segments too。Years ago I read a statistic I found utterly fascinating and then could never find it again。 It was in some book I was reading about the mass media。 It compared the growth of people employed as journalists with those employed as public relations professionals。 The authors pointed out that both of these professions require very similar skills – in fact， since newspapers have stopped being able to afford to employ enough journalists to fill their newspapers， often copy is provided by public relations professionals。 Those employed in public relations not only vastly outnumber those employed as journalists， but they are also much more highly paid。 This tells us interesting things about our society in relation to propaganda – of all the things you can say about public relations professionals， and I’m certainly not saying that they are all evil， but what is clear is that they are not employed to ‘tell the truth’ but rather to ‘spin the truth’ so as to make their organisation look good。 He says repeatedly throughout this that Soviet and Chinese propaganda， despite what we were generally told in the west， was mostly based on facts。 The point being that facts themselves are meaningless outside of a context – and propaganda creates the context that gives meaning to the facts。 This is such an important point。 You see， how we generally assess the effectiveness of propaganda often confirms our belief that propaganda is mostly ineffective。 And this is much the same with how we think about advertising。 We think that because millions of dollars are spent during an election campaign and the opinion polls hardly shift at all throughout that campaign then that must mean that the propaganda must have been ineffective。 But propaganda rarely needs to work on such short time frames。 Propaganda is sociological – that is， it creates a world view over years that is constantly reinforced by virtually all channels of the mass media in a society until it becomes the water we all swim in。He mentions research that ‘proved’ how ineffective Nazi propaganda had been。 They asked returning German soldiers questions on details on Nazi propaganda， and found many of them had no real idea what Nazi policies were on various topics。 They also asked them what their opinions where on these topics， and often the returning soldiers held opinions that were virtually the opposite of the Nazi position。 So far， so good。 Clearly， decades of Nazi propaganda had been mostly ineffectual。 Thank goodness for that， aye？And this is one of his major points。 Don’t tell me about public opinion – tell me what people do。 Did the soldiers’ lack of understanding of the intricacies of Nazi policies stop them killing Gypsies？ Did it encourage them to surrender to the advancing Allied forces？ The fact is that the Germans fought twice as fiercely when all hope was lost。 This seems a much more interesting proof of the effectiveness of Nazi propaganda than a soldier’s understanding of some obscure point of public policy。 Or to quote Ellul himself:“The most serious fault of all these investigations seems to be the following: they preserve the old notion that the effect of propaganda manifests itself in clear， conscious opinions and that the propagandee will respond in a specific way according to the propagandist’s slogans。 But this is less and less true。 One must understand that just as there is dissociation between private and public opinion， there is dissociation between opinion and action。 Propaganda works in that direction。 It is not because some individual holds clearly defined Nazi or Communist convictions that he will behave for the benefit of the Nazi or Communist regime。 On the contrary。 It is increasingly understood that those who have clear， conscious convictions are potential heretics who discuss action in the light of doctrine。 Conversely， because a man cannot clearly express his war aims does not mean he will comport himself less well on the battlefield if he is properly indoctrinated with propaganda—or fail to exterminate Jews just because he is not an articulate racist， or fail to be a devoted militant because he cannot formulate the dogma of the class struggle。 What matters to the propagandist is to have a good soldier…”This book is showing its age – this is inevitable – but see past the examples and look for the deeper sociological questions investigated here， and it really does still have lots to offer。 。。。more
Jeffrey Brannen
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**WARNING** This book will destroy your ability to rely on “trusted news sources”。 Proceed with caution。 ——-We imagine propaganda to be the tool of dictators and totalitarian states。 Ellul argues that propaganda is a tool of population control which all governments are tempted to use。 Regardless of political or ideological bent， each government finds itself having to deal with the problem of an absolute deluge of information。 Controlling that information by spin is essential to remain in power。 **WARNING** This book will destroy your ability to rely on “trusted news sources”。 Proceed with caution。 ——-We imagine propaganda to be the tool of dictators and totalitarian states。 Ellul argues that propaganda is a tool of population control which all governments are tempted to use。 Regardless of political or ideological bent， each government finds itself having to deal with the problem of an absolute deluge of information。 Controlling that information by spin is essential to remain in power。 But， if it were only governments who needed propaganda， that would be bad enough。 However， the problem goes deeper—we want to be indoctrinated by propaganda and we will seek it out。 This is the true value of the book: in today’s information age， we cannot handle the glut of data。 Our world is confusing， chaotic， and complicated。 But as a citizen， I’m required to be both informed and to make decisions （I。e。 to vote）。 But I can’t handle the flow of data so I either actively seek out or passively receive a simplified and simplistic worldview that creates a comforting narrative which agrees with my preconceptions。 In short， I want my vision of the good life and my place in it to be confirmed by what I read， listen to， and watch。 So when media confirms my bias， I believe I’m encountering “information” but when I’m encountering media I disagree with， I label that “propaganda”。 Here is the explanation of the explosion of accusations of fake news and disinformation。 Propaganda in a democracy tends to polarization and a two party system because of the extreme cost of conducting a propaganda campaign， which must be relentless。 Every effective propaganda campaign contains three elements: a victim， an enemy， and a scapegoat。 It provides a solution to loneliness by making the isolated individual part of a mass movement。 It eliminates the need to think。 It drives the individual to action， eliminates conscious anxiety， and gives a sense of purpose and peace。 I recommend this book with a caveat: you will no longer trust the news media or the government to tell you the unvarnished truth。 。。。more
Dogsandbooks
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Simply MUST reading， especially now。 Cannot recommend it highly enough。 I took extensive notes when I first read it， and chilling to reread those notes now。 （Jan 2020）。
Arash
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Honestly a must read in today's age。 The people influencing your culture have all read it - why won't you？ Good companion perspective to Bernays Honestly a must read in today's age。 The people influencing your culture have all read it - why won't you？ Good companion perspective to Bernays 。。。more
Kenny
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