In itself the aspiration to employ the most skilful methods of influencing people, of impressing ideas on them and, therefore, of moulding forms of behaviour is not new. 154 This sort of activity has long ago become an important function not only of individual political leaders but also of many special institutions and organisations set up by the ruling and, sometimes, by the oppressed classes. A -7 classical example of this kind of organisation is the Church. It has not only accumulated vast experience, but long before propaganda became the object of scientific study and public discussion it generalised its centuries-old practice and evolved the principles of the art of propaganda, which were then passed on to its ministers from one generation to another.

This art attracted the attention of politicians long ago. However, in political study and theory propaganda itself and the art of propaganda began to be discussed much later. In modern bourgeois literature on propaganda the beginning of this discussion is usually associated with Nicolo Machiavelli.

Long before Machiavelli the sphere of political activity now called propaganda had been dealt with, of course, by many outstanding thinkers beginning with Plato. But one cannot fail to see the reasons why Machiavelli and his works receive special attention from bourgeois historians and propaganda theorists, for it was Machiavelli’s -5 interpretation of the aims and functions of political -8 propaganda that proved to be the closest to modern bourgeois theory. We mean Machiavelli’s idea that the state, political power is the highest independent value, while the “subject” is the "object of manipulation" by every possible means, including propaganda.

The second figure constantly mentioned in Western -5 literature as one of the “fathers” of propaganda is the French sociologist Gustav Le Bon, who was active at the dawn of imperialism and considerably influenced some of the -3 concepts constructed by the political theorists of the imperialist bourgeoisie.

Which of Le Bon’s ideas are regarded as particularly important today? First and foremost, those in which the behaviour of "large crowds”, i.e., of the masses, is -5 interpreted as being fundamentally different from the behaviour of individuals, as being "more primitive”, "less civilised" and characterised by "a diminution of social controls" and a "sense of irresponsibility”, in other words, as being 155 CH. III. IMPERIALIST PROPAGANDA TODAY ") determined by "the primitive sides of man’s nature".  [155•*  Bourgeois propaganda experts think very highly of these ideas of Le Bon, seeing in them "useful practical guides in manipulating masses".  [155•**