Propaganda

by Edward Bernays (1928)

For an introduction to deep politics - the gritty realities of class, power, and social control - this short book is your best bet.  Written by a highly successful public relations consultant, its key message is that, "The conscious and intelligent manipulation ... of the masses is an important element in democratic society.  Those who [control] this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."  (p. 37, emphasis added)  He adds that, "The mechanism by which ideas are disseminated on a large scale is propaganda, in the broad sense of an organized effort to spread a particular belief or doctrine."  (p. 48)