Propaganda by Lukasz Olejnik

Author:Lukasz Olejnik [Olejnik, Lukasz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781040115138
Published: 2024-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Political and state propaganda

DOI: 10.1201/9781003499497-6

In this chapter, we continue the exploration of two important topics: the uses of propaganda methods in politics and state affairs. The next chapter is devoted to military issues, information warfare, and war propaganda.

6.1 Basic distinction again: PR versus propaganda, information pluralism

Distinctions can be made between “ordinary” political PR (e.g., in an election campaign), awareness-raising or educational campaigns, and information operations. These are important activities in a democratic State with pluralism. These may also be relevant activities for every state system or regime. As explained, such activities may be considered forms of propaganda—the techniques or methods may be the same, or very similar. However, this does not immediately mean that we are talking about outright totalitarian propaganda, such as we had to deal with, for example, in Germany during the time of Hitler and his NSDAP political party1 or in Soviet Russia. In totalitarian environment, propaganda was total and covered the full spectrum: from state information, to radio, literary, commercial, even medical content. It saturated the information environment. Breaking through this wall of information then was very difficult or even impossible. In such a situation, propaganda may gain great powers. This is when there is no input or feedback from other sources, from other points of view. In contrast, when we have pluralism, it can be challenging for propaganda to achieve a “totalitarian” level of power. This is impossible, even if large segments of society draw information from only one source, because other segments of society may seek information from other sources, and information saturation on a full scale in the majority of society will not occur. And this is why democratic systems can function more fairly than totalitarian ones. Although the openness of societies may mean a certain weakness and vulnerability to pitting one social group against another.2 Various activities can be conducted. The picture, therefore, is nuanced, the scales of intensity are broad; there is more to that than simple extremes, totalitarian-or-not. Propaganda was never limited to a particular type of government. Simply speaking, forms, and their honesty qualities, differ.

However, due to the diversity of access to information in a pluralistic society, we do not equate PR, educational campaigns, or even ordinary propaganda with “totalitarian propaganda.” These are different orders, and need not be mixed.

Various terms will be used in this chapter: “propaganda,” “political advertising,” “educational campaign,” “PR,” “announcement,” “proclamation,” etc. There will be a talk of both internal informational influences—focused on the population in the country. But also about external influence—information activities aimed at external audiences, such as those in other States and their affairs. Reading this chapter will also help to appreciate the problems and undesirable effects that may occur when a side believes its own propaganda. For example, in the propaganda of success, which portrays reality in a certain way, while in the “real reality,” the situation is somewhat different and more complex. Believing in one’s imaginary reality is a fundamental mistake, an analytical error, and a self-induced flaw.

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