Spurred on by the words of Pope Urban II that Muslims had conquered Jerusalem, the CrusaderвЂ™s mission was to recapture the вЂHoly LandвЂ™ and they dedicated their lives to this in return for the promise of redemption. They also fueled the enthusiasm for the Spanish crusade which is an excellent example of one of the churchвЂ™s most immediate successful propagandistic campaign with its mission of bringing all together in Christendom. Saints helped reestablish the monastic movement after a period of crisis by generating funds to complete cathedrals and gave the church a major tool for controlling popular religious trends. While the propaganda of saints was originally intended as a missionary tool, their resulting successes strengthen a variety of religious objectives. With this power, the church was easily able to bring their saints to life, so to speak. For the average person, the church carried absolute authority as it was considered to be the leading source of knowledge. In order to spread the message of the saints, the church used relied on oral messaging and stories told through images such as in the stained glass seen today in cathedrals. It should be noted that during this period very few people outside the church were literate thereby making authentication of any information difficult. Once the church had the buy-in of rulers, the reputations of these saints were given more validity to the general population and their shrines became protected as sacred places. Through their monasteries, the church was able to target emperors, kings and upper noblemen with the message of the saints. The Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of Faith was responsible for the campaign in spreading this message. From the fourth century onwards, the church launched an immense propaganda campaign aimed at communicating the character, powers and importance of saints as a method of keeping the loyalty of their existing followers and as a tactic to gain new ones. Religious Propaganda The first use of propaganda is credited to the Catholic Church with their creation of sainthood which was created to influence opinions and beliefs on religious issues. Ultimately though, the success or failure of any propaganda depends on the receiverвЂ™s willingness to accept the credibility of the source and the content of the message. Gray propaganda falls somewhere between these two forms as the source may or may not be correctly identified, and the accuracy of the information is uncertain. A message considered Black propaganda when the source is concealed or credited to a false authority, and spreads lies, fabrications and deceptions. Propaganda itself can be categorized as White, Gray, or Black, depending on the accuracy of information and where source is credited вЂ“ if itвЂ™s credited at all! White propaganda is defined as coming from a source that is identified correctly and contains information that tends to be accurate such as national pride messages. Order custom essay Propaganda Throughout History However propaganda, more often than not, is associated with political situations referring to efforts by governments and political groups. Therefore, almost any attempt to sway public opinion, including lobbying, commercial advertising and even missionary work, can be broadly interpreted as propaganda. TodayвЂ™s вЂњmodernвЂќ propaganda is distinguished from other forms of communication in that it is consciously and deliberately used to influence group attitudes with all other communication functions being secondary. What is Propaganda? Traditional propaganda is defined as a systematic manipulation of public opinion, generally through the use of symbols, monuments, speeches and publications. This paper will highlight the definitions of propaganda, the uses of propaganda in history through religion, Nazi Germany and the Cold War its reappearance after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the 1995 Canadian referendum, evolution into advertising and how society today has become almost indifferent to it.

Propaganda under this connation still exists, however itвЂ™s evolution over the centuries has ensured its survival in the most unassuming ways. The redefinition implying its now negative connation arose because of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany's admitted use of propaganda favoring communism and fascism respectively, in all forms of their public expression. It was originally a neutral term used to describe the dissemination of information in favor of any given cause. Propaganda has existed as a method of communication for a long time.

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