This volume traces the origins, ethos, and workings of modern propaganda, which now permeates all institutions in our society. Scholars such as C. Wright Mills, Walter Lippmann, and Hans Speier here explore the social and institutional groundwork of modern propaganda. The book then examines the axial age of propaganda, from the Great War through the Cold War, focusing on key propaganda organizations, such as the Committee on Public Information, the Nazi propaganda machine, and the group of Hollywood directors that produced propaganda films for the armed services during the Second World War. This section also details the wizardry of the master Nazi propagandist, Joseph Goebbels. Finally, the volume examines the ubiquity of propaganda in contemporary society, focusing on bureaucratic propaganda, advertising, public relations, and politics and language.

Robert Jackallis Wilmott Professor of Sociology and Social Thought at Williams College. His most recent book is Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers.