Propaganda Towards Disarmament In The War Of Words

Scholarly analysis of legal aspects of propaganda, with suggestions for its use in averting war and promoting peace in international relations.

This striking soft-cover book with more than three dozen color plates was produced to accompany an exhibition at Wolfsonian-Florida International University on how combatants from many sides used propaganda, mainly ephemera, to stir the masses during World Wars I and II. Even after the exhibit is dismantled, the catalog will stand on its own. The catalog contains essays on why warring governments in the 20th century placed such an emphasis on propaganda and mass communications to sway public opinion, and also on the design elements and language that all sides used to involve the public. The exhibition includes posters, matchbooks, housewares, and even children’s books and games, all designed to prepare the populace for war, encourage enlistment in the armed forces, set behavior standards (“Loose Lips Sink Ships!), and spur domestic production. The second half of the book looks at each image examining why the design elements and text are so effective.

This book develops a sophisticated account of propaganda and its intriguing history. It begins with a brief overview of Western propaganda, including Ancient Greek theories of rhetoric, and traces propaganda’s development through the Christian era, the rise of the nation-state, World War I, Nazism, Communism, and the present day. The core of the book examines the ethical implications of various forms of persuasion, not only hate propaganda but also insidious elements of more generally acceptable communication such as advertising, public relations, and government information, setting these in the context of freedom of expression. This new edition is updated throughout, and includes additional revelations about a key atrocity story of World War I.

From the French and Indian War in 1754, with Benjamin Franklin's Join or Die cartoon, to the present war in Iraq, propaganda has played a significant role in American history. The Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda provides more than 350 entries, focusing primarily on propaganda created by the U.S. government throughout its existence. Two specialists, one a long-time research librarian at the U.S. Information Agency (the USIA) and the State Department's Bureau of Diplomacy, and the other a former USIA Soviet Disinformation Officer, Martin J. Manning and Herbert Romerstein bring a profound knowledge of official U.S. propaganda to this reference work. The dictionary is further enriched by a substantial bibliography, including films and videos, and an outstanding annotated list of more than 105 special collections worldwide that contain material important to the study of U.S. propaganda. Students, researchers, librarians, faculty, and interested general readers will find the Historical Dictionary of American Propaganda an authoritative ready-reference work for quick information on a wide range of events, publications, media, people, government agencies, government plans, organizations, and symbols that provided mechanisms to promote America's interests, both abroad and domestically, in peace and in war. Almost all entries conclude with suggestions for further research, and the topically arranged bibliography provides a further comprehensive listing of important resources, including films and videos.

This volume addresses the importance of images of nations in international relations. One fundamental assumption is that the behavior of states is not the same as that of individuals. States are social systems whose behavior as a rule directly corresponds neither to the motives of their respective leaders nor to those of their populations. However, it is also self-evident that international activities always depend on personal relationships. The studies presented relate to more or less deliberate attempts to induce change in images. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the subject matter, findings made in public relations, advertising research, prejudice research and other fields are also taken into account. Very often it is impossible to distinguish between the image of the nation-state and the images of big enterprises such as Krupp, Ford, or Coca Cola. For this reason, the country of origin effect is also discussed.