Propaganda and Mass Persuasion: A Historical Encyclopedia, 1500 to the Present

A truly international, authoritative A–Z guide to five centuries of propaganda, in both wartime and peacetime, which covers key moments, techniques, concepts, and some of the most influential propagandists in history.

This fascinating survey provides a comprehensive introduction to propaganda, its changing nature, its practitioners, and its impact on the past five centuries of world history. Written by leading experts, it covers the masters of the art from Joseph Goebbels to Mohandas Gandhi and examines enormously influential works of persuasion such as Uncle Tom's Cabin, techniques such as films and posters, and key concepts like black propaganda and brainwashing.

Case studies reveal the role of mass persuasion during the Reformation, and wars throughout history. Regional studies cover propaganda superpowers, such as Russia, China, and the United States, as well as little-known propaganda campaigns in Southeast Asia, Ireland, and Scandinavia. The book traces the evolution of propaganda from the era of printed handbills to computer fakery, and profiles such brilliant practitioners of the art as Third Reich film director Leni Riefenstahl and 19th-century cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose works helped to bring the notorious Boss Tweed to justice.

• 60+ biographical profiles of the masters of mass persuasion, from Joseph Stalin, Joseph Goebbels, and Saddam Hussein to Mohandas Gandhi, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Malcolm X

• Information on dozens of historical and present-day propaganda institutions, including the KGB and the Voice of America

• 20+ of the best-known documents and artifacts of propaganda, such as the film Casablanca and the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin

• Covers five centuries of mass persuasion across the world from the 1500s to current times