Image 1. English propaganda poster from 1915, created by the Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, London, shows a column of soldiers marching into the distance, while being joined in the foreground by men in a variety of civilian attire. Image from the public domain.
Propaganda is information that influences what people believe. It can spread through television, books or the Internet. Propaganda isn't always bad. But it can often hide the truth about a topic.

Advertising and propaganda are very similar. But the goal of advertising is to get people to buy something. The goal of propaganda is to change what people believe.

Propaganda has been around for hundreds of years. But the word "propaganda" was used for the first time 400 years ago. The pope at the time was Gregory XV. The pope is the leader of the Catholic Church. Gregory XV started a group called the Congregation of Propaganda. This group's job was to get more people to follow Catholicism. Many had started following a slightly different religion, called Protestantism.

Propaganda Techniques

There are many techniques, or ways, to create propaganda. A common technique is called name-calling. A politician might call someone a "traitor" or "liar." This makes the other person look bad.

Image 2. A drawing from 1911 that criticizes the economic system of capitalism. Words like "rule," "fool," and "shoot" drive the point that the majority of the people are being oppressed by a privileged few. Image from public domain.
Another is the bandwagon technique. People want to be on the winning side. They might join someone who claims to be popular or winning. This is called jumping on the bandwagon.

A third technique is called glittering generalities. It brings together positive words and an idea people love. For example, politicians might say they like protecting children. Most people will agree with that idea. So, they will agree with those politicians.

Card stacking means showing only the good information about a topic. The bad information is left out. This way, people can only see the topic as good.

The plain folks technique is used often in politics. Many people running for office want to show they are regular people. They try to do things like hunting or fishing. These things are considered more normal. It makes them seem easier to relate to. This is a way to get people's trust.

Some propaganda is based on fear. It scares people into choosing a certain side. It also might scare them into taking action. This might not all be bad. Anti-smoking campaigns are one example. They may scare people into thinking that if they smoke, they will get cancer.

Image 3. Cover of the propaganda comic book "Is This Tomorrow" from 1947. Fear-based propaganda was very common during the Cold War. The economic system of communism, which opposed capitalism, was depicted as the greatest threat to Western society and values. Image from public domain.
The transfer technique is a bit harder to notice. It is when a group or person stands next to a symbol people like. For example, U.S. presidents often stand next to the U.S. flag. This makes it look like they will stand for the country.

Propaganda Mediums

Propaganda is used by many groups, such as businesses, politicians and the government. It is spread through posters, television and radio. The Internet makes it easy to send messages to the whole world.

Professor M. Lane Bruner said that television, radio and movies are the most dangerous type of propaganda. He teaches at Georgia State University. He said that people can't really talk back to the TV. They can only sit, listen and watch. For many, what they hear becomes the truth.

Types of Propaganda

Political propaganda is very common. But the first official propaganda was used to spread religion. People spreading religion have used it for hundreds of years.

To see if propaganda is saying the truth, people need to do extra work. For example, ads might always sound like they're true. But before you believe them, try to think about who created and paid for them. Find out why they did it. Then, you can decide if they're being honest or not.

War Propaganda

War propaganda began during World War I, more than 100 years ago. Great Britain and Germany were enemies. They used propaganda in the United States. They both wanted Americans to take their side. Britain was able to block Germany from sending messages to the United States. After that, many Americans only saw the war from the British point of view.

After World War I was World War II. Germany was ruled by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi political group. They controlled all information. Germans learned only good things about Nazis. Books that went against Nazi ideas were burned.

Image 4. Anti-Nazi propaganda poster circulated in the U.S. to encourage the conservation of gas. Image from public domain.
Propaganda was used in the United States, too. Posters were very useful because people usually remember images more than words. For example, one poster said, "When You Ride Alone You Ride with Hitler." The goal of the poster was to get people to share car rides. This way the United States could save more gas during the war.

Today, war propaganda still exists. Some fighters in the Middle East use it. They put up online videos to get more fighters to join their cause. Propaganda reaches more people than ever through the Internet.

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