Propaganda During The 20th Century And The Onset Of World War

Propaganda has always held sway over hearts and minds. Although the United States’ first large-scale wartime experience with propaganda in its semi-modern form of ‘yellow journalism’ took place during the Spanish-American War , primitive forms of it have existed since the days of â€Å"the tattoo-covered Caddo warrior, whose body attests to every victory, accomplishment, or god worshiped† and â€Å"Hannibal’s titanic war elephants advancing across the Italian plain.† Even â€Å"the ‘rebel yells’ of Confederate soldiers proclaiming that a charge was about to ensue† can be considered a sort of propaganda because in its most simple definition, propaganda is â€Å"the manipulation of opinion.† However, the modern propaganda which Americans are most familiar with is well summed up by the Merriam-Webster definition: â€Å"ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a caus e, a political leader, a government, etc.† The beginning of the 20th century and the onset of World War I marked the beginning of the true modern propaganda era, and throughout the 20th century, propaganda has grown in scope and influence, as well as been altered in how it is disseminated among and marketed to the people. â€Å"‘There is little exaggeration,’ wrote political scientist Harold Lasswell in 1938, ‘in saying that the World War led to the discovery of propaganda both by the man in the street and the man in the study.’† Indeed, in the period directly after WWI, propaganda, aShow MoreRelatedThe And Collective Anti Semitic Violence1679 Words   |  7 PagesCollective acts of violence during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century became more prominent and apparent since the Civilizing Process meant that violence was no longer an inherent part of everyday life. 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