TOTALITARIAN COMMUNICATIONS AS A MEANS OF CONTROL. A NOTE ON THE SOCIOLOGY OF PROPAGANDA,
Abstract
Although a public opinion as we understand it cannot exist in totalitarian states, its place is taken by an official image of the world expressed through the media of mass communications. The individual may not accept this image as true, and indeed often tries to look beyond it, since he sees it as an effort of the bureaucracy to control him. Nevertheless, he usually is forced to accept it, partly for want of something better and partly because of the power he knows stands behind it. For in the totalitarian state both safety and advancement depend upon conformity, and the mass media provide the model with which to conform. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 04, 1950
- Accession Number
- AD0603879
Entities
People
- Paul Kecskemeti
Organizations
- RAND Corporation