| A small practical guide written in 1928 by Sigmund Freud's American nephew, this book cynically and straightforwardly sets out the main principles of mass mental manipulation or what Bernays called the "consent factory". How to impose a new brand of washing powder? How do you get a president elected? In the logic of "market democracies", these questions merge. Bernays is fully aware of the fact that mass choices are decisive, and that those who can influence them will actually hold power. Modern democracy implies a new, invisible form of government: propaganda. Far from criticizing it, the author proposes to perfect and systematize its techniques, based on the findings of psychoanalysis. |
