Propaganda In Vietnam War

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Patel 1 Propaganda The word “propaganda” comes from the Italian language. The phrase “congregatio de propaganda fide” was used to support the catholic faith in response to the Protestant Reformation (Labash, 20 Dec, 2001). Wherever you go you will almost always find a type of propaganda. Propaganda has been used for a long time. Every newspaper, magazine, news channel, radio station, advertisement, or any other types of mass media contain different pieces of propaganda. As reported by the Webster’s College Dictionary, propaganda is “information or ideas methodically spread to promote or injure a cause, movement, nation etc, and the deliberate spread of such information or ideas” . When you think of propaganda during wartime, most people…show more content…
The majority of Americans were anti-war at the time and you see how famous singers have influenced American history with their songs during this time period making this form of propaganda very effective. For example the song “War” by Edwin Starr states how Americans felt about the war. Listening to the songs the lyrics state” Who wants to die?” This type of propaganda shows how Americans truly feel about the war and their hatred towards the government getting them involved in the Vietnam War. However, many people truly did not know why the United States was involved in the Vietnam War and what their purpose was. Well the purpose was to stop communism from…show more content…
Popular music at this time was more than just music, it was “a source of strength, unification, and expression when the battle is raging. The Vietnam War played a significant role in the growth of the music industry as the controversy surrounding Vietnam became the driving force of musicians writing hundreds of songs talking about the war. An astonishing fact is that there were over 120 songs written by country-western singers in support of the war. Over a hundred pro and anti war songs became popular during this period and it led to the growth of both country and rock music. There were about 80 country music radio stations in 1961 and by the end of the 60s there were over 600 country music stations. Older artists like Pete Seeger, Malvina Reynold, and Peter Yarrow began protesting America’s involvement when troops were first sent to Vietnam as military advisors. Their music talked about traditional folk themes such as peace, justice and brotherly love. Folk-rock later became the most popular form of music that spoke out against the Vietnam War. Rock music bacame another form of popular music in which many artist used as a protesting tool. Protest music began its demise once President Nixon began gradually withdrawing troops out of Vietnam, this led to the traditional messages of romance and courtship back into popular

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