Edward Bernays – Propaganda

Created on Saturday, 04 September 2010 16:31

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses (i.e. Propaganda) is an important element in a democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”— Edward Bernays in his book titled, Propaganda

A seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought and public relations, Edward Bernays (1891–1995), pioneered the scientific technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion, which he famously dubbed “engineering of consent.” During World War I, he was an integral part of the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI), a powerful propaganda apparatus that was mobilized to package, advertise and sell the war to the American people as one that would “Make the World Safe for Democracy.” The CPI became the blueprint that marketing strategies for future wars were based on.

Bernays applied the techniques he had learned in the CPI and, incorporating some of the ideas of Walter Lipmann, became an outspoken proponent of propaganda as a tool for democratic and corporate manipulation of the population. His 1928 bombshell Propaganda lays out his eerily prescient vision for using propaganda to regiment the collective mind in a variety of areas, including government, politics, art, science, and education.

To read this book today is to comprehend what our contemporary institutions of government and business have become with regard to organized manipulation of the masses.

This is the first reprint of Propaganda in over 30 years.

 

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