#15 in Politics & society
Propaganda
- 159
- Pages
- about 3 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Propaganda” is a short, revealing early account of how modern public relations works. Drawing on social science and psychology, Edward Bernays explains how symbols and staged actions can steer mass opinion and drive political change. Some readers value it above all as a rare look at manipulation through the eyes of those in power. For students of media and politics it remains useful context.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Propaganda is a book written by Edward Bernays in 1928. It incorporated the literature from social science and psychological manipulation into an examination of the techniques of public communication. Bernays wrote the book in response to the success of some of his earlier works such as Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923) and A Public Relations Counsel (1927). Propaganda explored the psychology behind manipulating masses and the ability to use symbolic action and propaganda to influence politics and effect social change. Walter Lippmann was Bernays's unacknowledged American mentor and his work The Phantom Public greatly influenced the ideas expressed in Propaganda a year later. The work propelled Bernays into media historians' view of him as the "father of public relations."
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.1 across 51 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 26% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Politics & society average of 8.0. That is how 7.8 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.8 | 10 | 20% |
| Hardcover | 6.9 | 41 | 80% |
Frequently asked
How long is Propaganda?
It has 159 pages — shorter than 82% of the ranked books in Politics & society.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Politics & society — with scores between 7.4 and 8.0, closest to this book.
