Book Review: The Battle for the Mind: War and Peace in the Era of Mass Communication

Abstract

Gary S. Messinger The Battle for the Mind: War and Peace in the Era of Mass Communication. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2011. 293 pp.Gary Messinger, an expert on war propaganda, asks readers to imagine a time not far in the future when the power of nations to use mass communication to conjure and wage war will be challenged by those seeking to mediate conflict, a time when political actors will compete for public support and political influence on the battlefield of ideas. This comprehensive and compact twentieth-century history about the use of mass communication to influence hearts and minds in times of conflict testifies to how well media have served the masters of war. However, Messinger proposes that the twenty-first century could mark a change in this dynamic, influenced by broad-based access to the tools and techniques of mass communication wielded by a far wider array of political actors and a growing understanding that media can serve purposes more idealistic than reporting war and disseminating propaganda.The author traces the historical development of mass media technologies and their strategic uses in times of conflict over 150 years in this articulate, well-woven synthesis aimed at a general reader. Beyond its readability and manageable length, considering its international scope, Messinger provides a refreshing departure from generally U.S.-centric media history provided in most textbooks. In this respect, Messinger's approach compares to Phillip Knightley, who provides the other exception to U.S.- centric media history in his critique of war reporting, The First Casualty.The Battle for the Mind defines mass communication broadly to include speeches, film, novels, and pamphlets in addition to the expected reporting, advertising, and public relations efforts produced by or for the government. The author shows how an audience hungry for news and excitement, combined with profit motive and nationalism, can brew potent antagonisms that fan popular support for war, then pile fuel on the fire once war begins.The Battle for the Mind is organized into chapters focused on periods of twentiethentury world conflict and their brief interstices, exploring why and how different nations, leaders, and political players used mass communication to influence public and political opinion, and to what effect. It begins with the years 1850 to 1914, when telegraphy dramatically increased the transmission speed of news and prompted the founding of news syndicates in the United States and Europe. Chapters 2 through 5, the longest and most comprehensive chapters, cover the increasing use of mass communication by governments during WWI, the frustrating interwar years of failed peace, and the militarization and nationalism fueling WWII. Two chapters focus on the use of propaganda techniques used by authoritarian regimes during this period. Chapter 6 covers the Cold War years 1945 to 1991, and Chapter 7 covers the post-Cold War years 1991 to 2006. This concluding chapter also considers ways mass communication might contribute to peace, including global efforts by Reporters Without Borders to monitor hotspots and curricula for international reporters centered on conflict resolution rather than reactive war reporting.The author identifies WWI as a turning point in the use of media in times of war, which also serves as an example of his comparative methodology. The speed of transmission by telegraph and telephone helped accelerate the rush to war by quickly overtaking slower, more measured diplomatic exchanges that had delayed decisions to engage armies in the past. War news saturated European society as telegraphs reached even remote towns to report massive casualties suffered through a deadly mix of trench warfare, machine guns, and poison gas. War news was supplemented by newspaper and magazine photography. Germany, meanwhile, fine-tuned leafleting into a psychological weapon to frighten populations into surrender or collaboration. …