How Does The Government Use Propaganda

Governments use propaganda to influence the public and effectively spread their own stance on a matter. This dependence on propaganda to change public opinion leads to the creation of sensationalized and falsified information to build a compelling argument. By attempting to influence the opinions the public, the government attempts to create a homogeneous society that lacks individual thinkers. Government sponsored propaganda has an immense influence on the opinions of the public, due to its misleading nature, its impact on the mentalities of citizens, and the delibracy involved in its creation.

Propaganda often misleads the public using false information and sensationalized facts. According to Randal Marlin, head of the course Truth and Propaganda

This is proven through the use of vague language in propaganda, which “is designed to make lies sound truthful” (Orwell). Since propaganda is a calculated method to present information in a deceiving way, the language used has a significant impact on how it is received by the public. The importance of propaganda as a tool to change public opinion was proven during World War One when success was dependent on the propagation of ideology rather than military strength. According to George Creel, the head of the U.S. Committee on Public Information, propaganda had a quintessential role in convincing the public that the U.S. government had the “proper solutions” for the crisis (Creel). This displays the government’s deep level of distrust in the public and that the government does not believe that the public would form a logical conclusion, so it felt necessary to compensate for the decisions that the public was inclined to make. For this reason, the Committee on Public Information used sensationalized information, persuasive language, and various mediums to share the solution deemed correct by the government (Creel). The purposeful use of constant exposure and the persuasive language displays that the committee was set on changing the opinions of the public and their way of thinking. To government officials, propaganda serves as a way to misinform the

This is especially prominent in younger generations, as governments often exploit their lack of experience. The correlation between specific propaganda and changes in opinions was proven by Richard Bateman and H. R. Remmers, faculty members at Purdue University. Bateman and Remmers recorded the opinions of high-school students before and after being exposed to propaganda and concluded that it has a significant impact, as the students’ opinion on the topic drastically changed (Bateman and Remmers). These findings are supported by Min Zhou and Hanning Wang’s study, which focuses on the impact that the Chinese Communist Party’s anti-Japanese propaganda has on university students. By asking the students a series of questions regarding their opinion on Japan and measuring how often they were exposed to propaganda, the researchers were able to decipher that students exposed to more propaganda were much more likely to express anti-Japanese sentiments (Zhou and Wang). The similar conclusions of the studies prove that students in various parts of the world are dramatically influenced by the propaganda they are exposed to. To a student who is still forming their identity and learning about their opinions, propaganda can be a compelling force to follow as it offers a pre-made solution. This is especially prominent in China, where the Chinese Communist Party uses textbooks and museums