Propaganda is probably as old as war itself. From the moment humans began to engage in conflicts over resources, territories, or ideologies, the manipulation of information and public opinion became critical tools in the arsenal of warfare.
Long before the term "propaganda" was coined, ancient civilisations employed various methods to influence both their own people and their enemies. Whether it was Egyptian pharaohs inscribing exaggerated accounts of their military victories on monuments, or the Greeks using theatre and oratory to drum up support for campaigns, the underlying principle has always been the same: control the narrative to achieve strategic goals.
Even the legendary Trojan Horse can be seen as an early form of tactical deception, a physical manifestation of manipulating beliefs to gain an advantage. In essence, propaganda in warfare has evolved hand in hand with advances in communication methods, from oral storytelling to the internet, but its core objectives—shaping perception, fostering allegiance, and facilitating control—have remained constant throughout human history.
"Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government." - Edward Bernays, "Propaganda"
"All warfare is based on deception." - Sun Tzu, "The Art of War
"Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state." - Noam Chomsky, "Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda"
"The first casualty when war comes is truth." - Hiram Johnson, U.S. Senator
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
"The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human." - Aldous Huxley, "The Olive Tree"
"Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves." - Eric Hoffer
"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." - George Orwell
"To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power because there is no basis upon which to do so." - Timothy Snyder, "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century"
"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it." - Joseph Goebbels, Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany
You are constantly reading propaganda. If you read something in the MSM that causes an emotive outburst, especially when connected with war, it is likely to be propaganda. When that emotional trigger has been pressed, be aware of it, take a deep breath, realise what emotions have been provoked, think critically, evaluate the context of the piece and then re-read using some of the following steps:
Check the credibility of the author. Are they known for balanced reporting or do they have a particular bias. Look at their previous work and whether they have a specific agenda;
Analyse the content for strong emotional triggers and logical fallacies. Do the arguments make sense or have ad hominem attacks? Are the images or videos designed to provoke specific reactions or convey particular messages?
Be conscious of your own bias. We all have our own biases that can affect how we interpret information so try to separate your own opinions from the information presented.
Propaganda can be used for many reasons, each contributing to the overall objectives of the conflict. These include:
https://nakedemperor.substack.com/p/propaganda-is-the-executive-arm-of