I have to write an argumentative essay on propaganda during the Cold War...?

Question

my claim is something along the lines of "the U.S. used propaganda as a weapon against the Soviet Union during the Cold War". Before I write this paper, I have to write another paper on the opposing view, but I'm having trouble coming up with a claim. Any ideas? Even changes to the original statement are welcome, I just can't come up with a direction, so research hasn't been easy.

Answer 1

use the same premise... propaganda stating that the USA is the root of all evil. Much of the world today sees the US as rich bullies of the world. We see, we want, we go get at all costs...

Answer 2

I feel you should make your argument about the EFFECTIVENESS of propaganda during the Cold War. Taking Vietnam as a part of the Cold War, it is easy to see how people such as Jane Fonda and Joan Baez said pro-communist things that they have since distanced themselves from. At the same time, communist leaders were saying that their war would be won 'not in the jungles around Hue but in the streets of Chicago'.

The Soviets did have close links with socialist/communist organisations in the West.

It was recently the anniversary of the 1956 uprising in Hungary, you can probably find something on this, and you should also analyse the ramifications of the great symbolic events of the Cold War, such as the Francis Powers trial, Kennedy's speech in Berlin, Nixon's confrontation with Kruschev, the various events of the space program, the trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, the Petrov Affair, the flight of Anthony Burgess and Donald Mclean, Kim Philby etc.

Progress Publishing in Moscow printed a lot of pro-communist books that were distributed in the West.

Answer 3

Change your thesis to "Propaganda was an effective weapon during the Cold War." This would give you more to discuss, and it would allow you to argue both sides (essentially debating how effective it was).

You could also argue about the source of propaganda - something along the lines of "Private citizens produced more effective propaganda than the government during the Cold War." Then you could compare the impact of movies and books to more official government efforts.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Phillips was named Obama’s new media director in January 2009, a position that was boosted from a mid-level staff job under President George W. Bush to a special presidential assistant under Obama. Phillips oversees a staff of seven, the biggest online team ever fielded by the White House.

Answer 5

Give examples of the movies during that era. Lots of them made the Russians look bad. So did many cartoons such as Johnny Quest. Not always was the enemy stated to be Russian or Chinese, but they did usually have a Russian accent in speaking, and there was red banners in background.

Answer 6

Water was wet during the cold war.


When you give yourself a soft pitch like a government using propaganda, it is nearly impossible to argue the opposite side.

Answer 7

You could say the the US government used propaganda to create fear in their own people in order to more easily secure military funding.