The word propaganda spread as elites discovered mass susceptibility
Evidence
During the war the word “propaganda” was first coming into widespread use, testifying to a wholly new respect for the susceptibility of the average mind to the manipulations of the trained opinion-maker. — John Higham, Strangers in the Land, 2352
Categorization
- XREF: Connects to the reader’s core question about manufactured enemies and how conviction is engineered; also links to Lippmann and later propaganda studies. — connects to: Wealthy elites saw social-welfare state publicity as an antirevolutionary necessity
- SEED: An essay tracing when ‘propaganda’ entered common speech marks the historical moment ruling classes first articulated mass opinion as manipulable material.