Propaganda or A More Perfect Union

Propaganda

Author: Edward Bernays

"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, 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 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, 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 inregards to organized manipulation of the masses.

This is the first reprint of Propaganda in over 30 years and features an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, author of The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder.

Library Journal

Released in 1928, this was the first book that explored the use of propaganda as a government and business means of manipulating the masses. Bernays, the first public relations guru, was in charge of the U.S. Committee on Public Information, which had the task of designing an ad campaign to make World War I look like a good idea. Somehow it worked. He discusses that and much more here. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Interesting textbook: Becoming a Doctor or Best of Weight Watchers Magazines

A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution

Author: Betsy Maestro

This easy-to-understand book tells why and how the Constitution of the United States was created. "Simple, attractive, informative....The most accessible history of the Constitution to date."--School Library Journal.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4 Once again, the Maestros have produced a simple, attractive, and informative book about a milestone in American history. Here they cover the birth of the Constitution from the initial decision to hold the convention, through the summer meetings in Philadelphia, the ratification struggle, the first election, and the adoption of the Bill of Rights. The facts are put forward clearly, but in no way is this a detailed account. Left out, for example, are the events leading to the Convention and the debates on the slavery issue which occured during its course. Instead, the focus is on the most basic issuethe decisions on the organization of the government which resulted in the Great Compromise. The book does get to the core of the achievement of the Constitutionthe establishment of a governmental structure which has been adaptable to change for 200 yearsbut some of the significance is lost in this pared-down description. The pastel-colored paintings are most effective when they present panoramas and least effective when depicting the members of the convention, most of whom look alike except for hair color. A final section includes lists of the signers as well as of all those who attended; chronologies of events and the dates of ratification; and simple summaries of the Articles of the Constitution and amendments to it. The simplest and most accessible history of the Constitution to date. Christine Behrmann, New York Public Library