Unit 5: Global Politics

Global Studies

Propaganda

• information spread by a government or group to promote or discourage a policy or cause

• designed to influence people (elections, war, TV ads, etc.)

• facts presented in a slanted or misleading way

Propaganda cont.

• deliberately spread with the purpose of injuring a cause or a group

• opinions presented as facts

• designed to persuade people to change their view

• plays on emotions (patriotism, fear)

Propaganda cont.

• stems from biased information

• can take many form…posters, slogans, government directives

• is like advertising…but it promotes a political agenda rather than a commercial product

Bias

• Def. - preference for one thing over another

• can lead to poor judgments about historical significance

• only gives one side of the story • favors one side over the other

How to detect bias and propaganda…

Ask yourself the following questions…• Who is the author/creator of the

information, and what is his or her background?

• Does the source contain opinions? (can’t be proven)

• Does the source contain only one point of view, or facts from one side of an argument?

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Primary Sources – records from the past (letters, speeches, photographs, cartoons, journals, essays) – Come from the original author,

speaker, creator – Important because they offer us a

glimpse of the era through the eyes of people who lived it

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Secondary Sources – restatements of events written by a second-party author

– textbook, biography, books about historic events, newspaper articles

– usually use primary sources for research

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Tertiary Sources – third-hand sources that consist of information which is a collection of primary and secondary sources

– Examples: Encyclopedias, almanacs, fact books

Propaganda Techniques

• Bandwagon effect

– everyone supports this and so should you

– “ Everybody’s Voting for Amanda Jones, and so should you!”

Propaganda Techniques

• Testimonial

– famous person endorses a candidate, position, or product

– “Basketball star Rocky Robinson is voting for Amanda Jones – shouldn’t you?”

Propaganda Techniques

• Stereotyping – oversimplified and unfair images to

make a point that isn’t necessarily true – “You know that young people are only

interested in watching TV and listening to loud music. They shouldn’t be given the right to vote, because they will never use that right with any intelligence”

Propaganda Techniques

• Glittering Generalities

– saying clever, patriotic, or memorable words that have little meaning

– “If I am elected, I promise a new dawn of prosperity for the US”

Propaganda Techniques

• Scare Tactics

– try to make you act out of fear

– “If you vote for my opponent, we will end up with a toxic waste dump in our town”

Propaganda Techniques

• Plain Folks – candidate or cause is identified with

common people from all walks of life

– “Vote for candidate Smith, who understands the problems of our town”

Propaganda Techniques

• Name-Calling

– unpleasant label or description to harm a person, group, or product

– “Candidate Smith is corrupt and caters to special interest!”

Propaganda Techniques

• Card Stacking

– Presents only one side of a story and omits the opposite viewpoint

– Politicians may mention groups supporting their programs, but not those opposed to them.

Interest Groups

• organizations dedicated to pressuring government to pass laws

• organizations whose members share similar views on issues and attempt to influence public policy

political action committees (PACs)

• created by interest groups to persuade govt officials and politicians – separate from interest groups, but work toward the same goal

political action committees (PACs)

• interest groups have to form these because federal election laws do not allow them to contribute funds

• can contribute larger sums of money to campaigns – soft money – money kept separate

from the “official” campaign fund

Lobbyist • individuals who represent interest groups –

employed by interest groups • job is to persuade govt officials to vote for

or against a particular law, regulation, or policy

• called lobbyist because they used to hang out in the lobbies of legislature chambers

• work for organizations, labor unions, large corporations, or interest groups

Main ways to influence public opinions• ** most important influence on govt policy

– VOTING – join political groups (party, union, special

int. group) – protest (petitions, mass-assemblies,

boycotts) – contact public officials (writing, phoning) – attend public functions (see official in

person)

Interest Groups / Public Action groups

• many form from minority cultures – fair / equal rights

NAACP • National Association for the Advancement

of Colored People (1909)

• BT Washington – helped create with white liberals

– Wanted to work to gain whites respect

• power in Civil Rights movement - helped with the Brown decision

• challenge unfair laws and rally support for candidates

NOW

• National Organization for Women (1966)

• Goal: women equal in all aspects

• today – want equal pay and ERA (Equal Rights Amendment)

AIM

• American Indian Movement (1968) • has a role in creating federal Indian

policy • wants to improve image of Native

Americans • fight for NA rights • educate people on NA culture

UFW

• United Farm Workers (1962)

• Cesar Chavez – Hispanic Americans

• Organized to unionize grape pickers

– Low wages / harsh conditions

– non-violent boycott of grapes

– 1970 – union accepted

Influences on Public Policy

• political parties – get members elected

• interest groups – pressure legislators to pass laws

• lobbyists – pressure and inform members of Congress and other elected officials

• media – provide info and watch over govt

• public opinion -- ** influence elected leaders

Development of American Public Policy and the

Influences used

Extension of Suffrage

• Obtain women’s voting rights – 19th Amendment

• Equal Pay Act (1963)

• Susan B. Anthony

• Formed special interest groups – NWSA (National Women’s Suffrage Association), NOW

• Used media – publish own newspaper

Labor Legislation

• Joined political parties

• Labor unions: Knights of Labor

– Protect workers rights

– Allow them to bargain with employees

– Organized strikes

Civil Rights Legislation • Rights of African Americans – MLK

– Staged peaceful sit-ins

• NAACP, CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) – special interest groups

• Used media (TV) showed treatment

• Civil Disobedience

• Pressured political parties

Military Policy

• Use of military overseas and methods to obtain troops

• Media – TV (antiwar protests)

• Lobbyist in Congress

• Interest groups – VVAW (Vietnam Veterans Against the War)

• Helped…end the draft (Vietnam), withdrawal of troops

Environmental Legislation

• Protect the nation’s natural resources

• Special interest groups – Sierra Club / Silent Spring / Greenpeace

• Lead to Earth Day, Clean Air Act, EPA

Business Regulation

• Govt intervention in Big Business

• Passed laws with farmer against railroads (SIG)

• Antitrust and consumer protection laws

Education Policy

• How to fund and set policy for schools

• Special Interest Groups – NEA (National Education Association), AFT (American Federation of Teachers)

• Media – newspapers and TV reports

• “No Child Left Behind”

Influence of Citizen Action on Public Policy or methods of effecting governmental change

Political Action

• Working within the governmental system

• nonviolent and socially acceptable

Social Protest • demands by groups for change

       can be violent or nonviolent

       US – people can assemble peacefully, circulate ideas,

and petition the govt

• Civil Disobedience – willful, active refusal to obey a law that dissenters believe to be immoral

Revolution

• violence to overthrow a govt after all other attempts at change has failed

• ** most extreme

Dissent and Civil Disobedience

• when political action does not achieve the desired results

Dissent   intense disagreement with authority

(govt) that involves some kind of protest action or organized movement

• marches, staged protest events with speakers, publications, picketing, boycotts, and public awareness campaigns

• Examples: Women’s Suffrage, Civil Rights, Anti-Vietnam War Movement

Civil Disobedience

refusal to follow laws that they believe are immoral

usually planned in advance

getting arrested is sometime the goal

nonviolent examples…blockade or illegally occupying facilities

Examples: Women’s Suffrage, Civil Rights, Anti-Vietnam War Movement

Case Studies on the Effectiveness of Social Protest

and Revolution

Movement to Abolish Slavery and the Slave Trade• Movement to Abolish Slavery and

the Slave Trade

• Anti-Slavery Society (1787) – efforts led to the end of slave trade in British colonies and US by 1807

Independence movement in India

 Gandhi – civil disobedience to protest British rule

 Theory – go to jail rather than follow British law

 “Noncooperation with evil is a sacred duty.”

  Nonviolently disobeyed British law to gain sympathy and support for his movement

• Led to independence in 1947

Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe

  armed uprisings in 1956 and 968 and formation of an independent Poland (1980s) led to the fall

• staged massive demonstrations demanding free elections

End of Apartheid

Apartheid – separation of races in South Africa

• African National Congress (violence and protest) influenced SA to abandon apartheid

French Revolution (1789-1799)

• France was ruled by a king and divided into social classes

• The people were upset that the king did not approve changes to give them more of a say in govt.

• The people stormed the Bastille (king’s prison)

• The king gave in to the people and was executed

Russian Revolution (1917) • WWI – RR lines cut by Germans• Russian Economy collapsed• People staged demonstrations• Tsar ordered army to fire on strikers• Army joined strikers and Tsar stepped

down • New govt formed but overthrew by Lenin

(Communists)