Question

Why was propaganda an important tool of totalitarian dictators?

Answer 1

Propaganda is very important and effective tool in the formation and development of a dictatorship.
Propaganda is a very powerful tool because it slowly influences people, often unconsciously. Because of this, it has been widely used, both by real and fictional dictators (think Animal Farm, or 1984). It reaches people through printed, visual, and audio media forms, and thus is pervasive. It craftily uses pieces of real fact, and twists these facts to blur the line between truth and what the dictator wants people to believe. Thus, it is difficult to refute, because there are facts in there, and it slowly begins to make sense to you until you are caught. It is often designed to stir people up, get them into a sort of frenzy, which can be channelled into fanatically supporting the government that issues it.

Answer 2

Hope I helped =)

Answer 3

Because it helps control people,try watching some videos about North Korea,that will help you understand completely. :)

Answer 4

Both have it right and North Korea is a really good example of the use of modern day propaganda.

Papers, television broadcasts, and education are all geared towards supporting the current leadership and the country's perspective of the world at large even if that perspective goes counter to what the rest of the world knows. People chuckle at the idea that North Korea is the "greatest country" in the world -- but a lot of people that live there, and have little choice in the matter, utterly believe it because it's drilled into them day-in and day-out. You won't believe how amazingly tilted how things are inside the country with the beaming face of its founder greeting people at nearly every city, enshrined on huge paintings and mosaics.

Sometimes you'll get people that see through the illusion and try to fight back or break free, but it's also incredibly risky for them to do so. North Korean defectors often bring back stories of people imprisoned, "disappearing" from society, for simply saying the wrong thing.