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Mark Crispin Miller

Propaganda Paperback – September 1, 2004

by Edward Bernays (Author), Mark Crispin Miller (Introduction)

1,977 ratings

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“Bernays’ honest and practical manual provides much insight into some of the most powerful and influential institutions of contemporary industrial state capitalist democracies.”—Noam Chomsky

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in 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

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 would become the blueprint in which marketing strategies for future wars would be based upon.

Bernays applied the techniques he had learned in the CPI and, incorporating some of the ideas of Walter Lipmann, as well as his uncle, Sigmund Freud, 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 frightfully comprehend what our contemporary institutions of government and business have become in regards to organized manipulation of the masses.

Print length

175 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ig Publishing
Publication date

September 1, 2004
Dimensions

5 x 0.3 x 7.7 inches
ISBN-10

9780970312594
ISBN-13

978-0970312594
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0970312598
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ig Publishing; F First Paperback Edition Used (September 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 175 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780970312594
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0970312594
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.3 x 7.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #14,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Political Leadership
- #11 in Propaganda & Political Psychology
- #15 in Advertising (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,977 ratings

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5 star		77%
4 star		14%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Bernard

Not as interesting as I had hoped

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2020

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Edward Bernays was a brilliant propagandist who wielded tremendous amounts of power over public influence. Read a little about him and you will find he has been responsible for everything from the popularization of cigarettes to the CIA coup in 1950's Guatemala. He holds a tremendous amount of knowledge and manipulative ability in regards to propaganda; unfortunately, this book is not where he shares that information.

Had this book been a strategy manual of Bernays', or a memoir of his greatest manipulations it would surely be a classic. Unfortunately this book was written mainly as a moral defense of propaganda itself. Instead of branding propaganda as a devious dark art of mass mind control, Bernays paints it as somewhat positive if not innocuous. He is intentionally withholding of information in an attempt to cast propaganda in a positive light. The end result is an experience like dipping ones foot into a puddle instead of a deep swim. Boring.

55 people found this helpful

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John C. Cravey

Needed: a Better Book about Propaganda

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2019

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11 chapters, 33,000+ words
Scroll to the bottom to read about the Kindle highlight limit.

Here’s what I think about propaganda. There’s information and persuasion. Disseminating false information is disinformation. Hiding true information is a cover-up. A monopoly on information is required for both disinformation and cover-up. Using disinformation, cover-up, logical fallacies or unspecified axioms to persuade people is what is commonly known as propaganda. All else is journalism, scholarship, advocacy, advertising, etc.

Does propaganda work? I’m not aware of a scientific proof, but disinformation is blamed for the popular support for World War I. Does propaganda based on logical fallacies work? The proof of this would require many cases of people behaving counter to their desires, interests and values after being presented with logical fallacies. Propaganda can’t be a threat if there’s no monopoly on information and we stay strong.

You won’t get any of this from Bernays. He was an ad man and public relations counsel, so he’s good on public relations, especially the value of giving away free stuff and developing a high-toned image to soothe muckrakers and investors. He's good at reminding us that the word propaganda didn't always have negative connotations. Otherwise, he’s a lightweight.

To him, propaganda is “propagating a doctrine or system” or “establishing the reciprocal understanding between an individual and a group”. The rest of us call this advocacy, dialogue, gossip, etc. He does say that good propaganda must be correct information. But he modifies this by saying that good propaganda must be in the service of a good cause, a potential justification for a cover-up.

I found five authorities Bernays cites: Gustav Le Bon (probably for his THE CROWD: A STUDY OF THE POPULAR MIND (1895)), Graham Wallas (probably for his HUMAN NATURE IN POLITICS (1908)), Wilfred Trotter (probably for his THE INSTINCTS OF THE HERD IN PEACE AND WAR (1908)), Walter Lippmann (probably for his PUBLIC OPINION (1922)), and his own uncle, Sigmund Freud.

Based on synopses of these writers, they saw average people, especially in crowds, as barely above livestock. They advocated the same “propaganda managed democracy” that Bernays advocates.

But Western civilization advanced dramatically at the end of the middle ages, and it was decentralized middle-class progress. Was that the work of livestock? Sufficiently motivated, the average individual learns critical thinking so that he may profit from his own good decisions. Bernays states, “Men are rarely aware of the real reasons which motivate their actions.” When his uncle Sigmund escaped Nazism, was he doing it to save his own life or to seek status by impressing all his friends with his escaping skills? When the stakes get high, frivolous decisions decrease.

Deceptive persuasion will become dangerous when the number of pensioned and alienated people reaches critical mass.

We need a better book on this subject. Maybe it’s time to look into Alinsky’s RULES FOR RADICALS and PROPAGANDA BLITZ by Edwards and Cromwell.

1.8 stars

I learned that Kindles have a highlight limit as part of their Digital Rights Management restriction for properties that aren’t in the public domain. Your e-book will retain the highlight, but when you hit the limit, the Kindle will stop writing highlights to your MY CLIPPINGS.TXT file, writing “<You have reached the clipping limit for this item>” instead. The highlight limit for this book was 24,576 characters. Your notes, however, will continue to be written to your MY CLIPPINGS.TXT file.

53 people found this helpful

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Alexandra Silvester

The truth is fake news, the manipulation of reality

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2017

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'Propaganda' should be taught at schools, making a new generation aware of how we human beings have become a danger to each other. Nothing is as it seems, and the populations in the West loosing Knowledge, which is forgotten, deleted and denied. New narratives are spun, and what was initially just a smart political maneuver had entered history, replacing 'that, which is', a reality, which doesn't need to be believed because it just is. How quickly have these narratives entered our schools and universities, and they are taught, and they are believed, and we can't understand when there are people who try to challenge the illusions we call our political reality. Our time has become too dangerous as we blindly stumble into wars which are sold to us as necessary to achieve peace. So, let us look back when Mr. Freud made his first crude attempts to open our mind, so we could learn who we are... that of course didn't happen, because people saw 'opportunities', and Edward Bernays gave us the formula, by which to follow. Please, this book is a must.

73 people found this helpful

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Evgeni Stavinov

The book made me think deeper about every purchase decision, social interaction, and consumed news

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2020

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The book prompted me to think deeper about every purchase decision, social interaction, and consumed news.
I’ve read my fair share of sales and marketing books, and well familiar with the concept of purchasing decision based in emotions, impulses, habits, and group think. I’m also familiar with various cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias, selection bias, and illusion of control. So the book didn’t change my world, but rather confirmed and systematized what I already knew. The book provided theoretical underpinning of propaganda: how it came about in a complex and constantly evolving society a century ago, and where it evolved to by now. How propaganda methods started being used in political campaigns, continued into routine way of doing business in large corporations (aka public relationship), and permeated every sales & marketing strategy, and social media by now.
The book starts with the phrase: “The conscious and organized manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society”. So there is nothing wrong with propaganda per se. It’s just a way to manage complex society by applying well-hidden selective filtering, and a means to organize chaos.
Writing this review at the end of tumultuous 2020, the COVID19 year, it's interesting to reflect on the events on the society thru the lens of propaganda. What is objective information, and what are hidden influences, manipulations, half-truths, or plain lies. Well, time will tell. And this book is going to be helpful as well.

27 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr Parker

Needs to be read by the masses

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2017

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Now more than ever we need to read this book. Our own media channels constantly bombard us with the"russian propaganda" story, whilst claiming their unbiased, objective stance.

Once you read this book, you will see who is telling the truth and who is in control of propaganda.

25 people found this helpful

Alan the Kaz

A crucial insight into how society functions

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2013

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This is one of those books that I've wanted to read for years, as a primary reference to understand how the world really operates. It's great to read books and to watch documentaries which talk about these things, but you can only truly appreciate what's going on around you when you go straight to the source. And Edward Bernays, the early 20th century propagandist who used the psychological insights of his uncle, Sigmund Freud, to transform the propaganda industry into what we now call "public relations", is one of the most crucial primary sources. Interest on his life and work have been reinvigorated within recent years, due to activists such as Noam Chomsky citing him as a pivotal spearhead of the Big Brother society, and an award winning BBC documentary by Adam Curtis, `Century of the Self'.

This short book, `Propaganda', is essentially propaganda for propaganda. By the 1920s, the once neutral word "propaganda" had been tainted with the same connotations it still has until now. Bernays, a professional propagandist, tasked himself with the mission of giving acceptability back to what he considered a legitimate advertising technique. This was back before he would realise that the word would never become fashionable again, replacing it with "public relations", or P.R.(opaganda). And, so, this short book acts essentially as an advertisement for "educated Americans", to teach them of the value of propaganda. The first half of the book is basically an apology for propaganda, and the wise men behind the scenes that we have "consented" to employ it for "our own good", to sway our opinions into the right direction and to prevent chaos from ensuing as a result of having no wise guidance in our lives. The second half is more of a practical manual of how propaganda can be successfully utilised in areas of business, politics, education, and others. While I found the first half more interesting, the second half is surprisingly relevant to today's seemingly far removed world from the 1920s, when this book was written.

In many ways, Edward Bernays' `Propaganda' is not as sinister as I had expected it to be. Bernays seems convinced that propaganda is a natural and unavoidable part of life, and he makes many convincing arguments to back up this assertion (though he is a master propagandist, so it's no surprise that his outlook seems convincing). Furthermore, he continually reminds his readers of their ethical duty to tell the truth and to not mislead the people whose thoughts they wish to sway to their cause. Nor did Bernays, like the propagandists who would come after him, seem to believe that the masses are brainless idiots (or, if he did believe this to be so, he didn't even so much as allude to that opinion within these pages). Bernays, it seems, dreamed of a world in which an unseen group of benevolent wise men would guide mankind, through propaganda, into making rational choices for the good of society. However, the role of today's advertising and P.R. world, which Bernays breathed into existence, is (as Noam Chomsky explains) to hurl the masses into making irrational decisions, the complete opposite of what Bernays seemed to have stood for.

Edward Bernays' `Propaganda' offers a valuable insight into how our collective minds function, and the mentality of those who are really pulling the strings in society (the advertisers, big business leaders, as well as prominent politicians) think of us. To fully appreciate this book, read it in conjunction with some of Noam Chomsky's numerous works on media manipulation, and watch Adam Curtis's `Century of the Self'.

42 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Propagate and take root

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2016

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Judging by the title of the book and it's reviews I was expecting to read a concise instructional work on how to emit and broadcast propaganda for your own ends. The author is well received by a lot of marketing professionals and I because of it's utilitarian cover I was expecting something like a training guide but it's not, I found it a little long winded, obfusc and self indulgent, but in some was its generality works in a way that involves the whole of humanity not just people who think they want to launch a propaganda campaigns. Instead of a flatpack with easy to assemble instructions I got a packet of seeds, easy to throw away and might take a little nurturing, but no doubt it will be enjoyable to watch them grow, and now for some light relief Last Seen in Bangkok

4 people found this helpful

Kelvin Beukes

The title says it all...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2014

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This book, despite being a slim volume, is THE text on marketing techniques, written by the grand-master of the field. From making smoking socially acceptable and an 'image' (See Marlborough Man etc.) to selling Bacon (formerly a nearly unsellable stew dish the US meat industry had a problem with) as a breakfast mainstay, Bernays took all that he had discerned; acquired and formulated it all in to a Stratagem which is either quoted or simply Plagiarised with spangly bits on top.

Though structured as part historical dialogue, leading into discourse of situation - solution, Bernays never leaves sight of the amalgamation of social sciences; psychology/psychiatry and geo-political nuances and ideologies; mythologies all tightly combined into an easy to read treatise on 'Deliver the goods and more'.

It is little wonder why this work resides on nearly every book shelf of the global elite.

6 people found this helpful

karl bone

historically interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2014

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Bernays is clearly using this book to further the aims of himself and the industry he represents. It is however an interesting historical document showing the genesis of modern US style propaganda-that which we now term 'marketing' 'image making' and 'public relations'. The book displays little of the authors own personality, but it's amusing to notice how he has been propagandised into believing that a scientific solution to everything. His world seems black and white and filled with the naivety of American idealism, but that may well be just part of the propaganda he wants to push. Perhaps he doesn't want to reveal too much which might distract from the message and therefore remains aligned with the general public mood of the time.

It's a way marker of its time-just as Bill Gates created an idea in the minds of the public about the potential of personal computing-so Bernays lays out the value of propaganda in the 20th century. Several times in the book he warns of the potential 'misuse' of propaganda, but he probably couldn't have imagined just how much the American ideal would be changed by the very propaganda he was promoting.

3 people found this helpful

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