The Bolshevik Revolution: the origins of propaganda and manipulation of public opinion

Abstract

This paper argues the hypothesis according to which the theory of mass persuasive communication has its origins at the beginning of the twentieth century, in the World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution. This study shed light on the influence of Lenin and Stalin, which adds a psychohistorical and methodological perspective to the study. It is concluded that some of the most important concepts of contemporary mass communication theory of persuasion, such as sounding, storytelling, audience insight, were contributed by their work, and also that, possibly, some contemporary political discourses employ similar strategies, especially among so-called populisms in the West.