Propaganda cannot be called propaganda, it immediately disavows it. This word refers to the suggestion to the broad masses of thoughts and ideas that are preferred by the ruling elite of any society.
Ministry of Truth
In one of J. Orwell's fantasy novels, the Ministry of Truth appears. That's exactly what the department should be called, inspiring the people how it should think. At the same time, neither the social structure of the state nor the degree of its authoritarianism matter in our time. The technology of suggestion has a universal psychological basis, and the countries that try to look the most democratic have achieved the greatest success in it. A very interesting type of agitation, nicknamed "Surkov's propaganda". Twitter is full of notes and comments from indignant users outraged by the words and actions of Vladislav Surkov, aide to the President of the Russian Federation and the ideologist of "sovereign democracy". Why did he so distinguish himself before the authorities and what is his fault before the liber altuned in by the public?
Ashkerov and his book
The philosopher Andrey Ashkerov became famous for the most large-scale and scientific exposure, thanks to his book of the same name. "Surkov's propaganda" became the topic of his research in the socio-culturological aspect. At the same time, it stands out in some special direction, which has a sharply defined Russian specificity. The general meaning of literary work is that when creating public opinion, some special technologies are used, as a result of which the majority of the population turns out to be a zombie mass, obediently voting for a totalitarian government and a national leader. The book draws an analogy with Soviet agitprop, which actively used documentary sources to achieve the desired effect, doing it on the verge of art, in fact, selecting the chronicle in such a way that the truth completely disappeared. Indeed, by citing suitable pictures in the right order, one can inspire the broad masses with the necessary thoughts, but is “Surkov's propaganda” so unique in this regard?
Experience of Soviet agitprop
The less people read on average, the easier it is to influence their minds. Unfortunately, in this Russia is gradually approaching the "developed Western democracies", but the technologies developed to manipulate public opinion, adopted there, are still failing in our country. During the existence of the Union, agitprop worked simply and reliably. The news was presented in the right aspect, a chronicle of the hard life of foreign workers and peasantsconfirmed the general thesis about the advantages of socialism. It was then that the citizens of the USSR in general, and the Russians in particular, got used to assessing the information provided to them critically. Therefore, it was not necessary to count on the fact that "Surkov's propaganda", using, in general, old Soviet technologies, would be an effective tool for influencing the thinking of the masses. Something else was required, new, and preferably having a real basis. And it was found, and beyond the borders of our homeland.
International situation
More than two decades after the collapse of the communist system, the consciousness of Russians has undergone significant changes. The euphoria caused by the illusion of the omnipotence of democratic Western values in their American understanding has passed. Since 1991, a number of events have taken place that have given a clear understanding that countries that consider themselves the stronghold of freedoms are pursuing an aggressive policy in the international arena, aimed at observing only their own economic interests, and not caring about the fate of the peoples "liberated" by them. At the same time, the media in these states are so limited in expressing alternative views that no “Surkovist propaganda” can compare with them. Contrary to the obvious facts, countries are declared outcasts, sanctions are imposed against the recalcitrant, conclusions are drawn about the guilt or rightness of the parties without any analysis of the situation, from which one can draw a logical conclusion about the biased creation of public opinion. In this regard, it seems quite logical to seek to isolate oneself from everythingthis flow, creating his own democratic system, which V. Surkov designated by the word "sovereign". For this opinion, he became a target for liberal criticism.
So what's the difference?
There is no doubt that A. Ashkerov tried very hard, choosing arguments in favor of the main idea of his book “Surkov's propaganda. Short Course. The efforts were crowned with success, the work became a bestseller, and in its revealing power, few publications of recent years can compare with this opus. Bold analogies, the use of "Putin's agitprop" technologies for the mass introduction of the necessary thoughts at the level of the subcortex of the brain, the progressive methods used by the "authoritarian regime" - all this is there. The only weak point of the book is that after reading it, it is not clear to the reader how exactly “Surkov's propaganda” differs from any other. After all, if the state does not lead its own political line, in particular through the media, it is doomed to the fact that foreign "puppeteers" will take over the minds of its population. Unfortunately, there are examples, and you have to walk very close to get them…
