Julius Caesar Positive Propaganda

Positive Propaganda

Propaganda is a method of communication that is intended to shape the outlook of a society towards a particular source or situation that benefits an individual or the group as a whole. It also includes information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely as well as the diffusion of information that is used to influence the community’s views. Propaganda is used as a tool of manipulation, but it can also be a pervasive factor in modern day social and political organizations. “A message that is intended primarily to serve the interests of the messenger; this is the basic definition of propaganda.” The term originally emerged in 1622 when Pope Gregory XV established the Sacred Congregation for Propagating the Faith. At
Julius Caesar was born into a wealthy family on July 12, 100 BCE. When he came into power the Roman Republic was faltering, as there had been a civil war prior to his ruling between Sulla and Marius. There was a lot of poverty, and the senate was not functioning well. Caesar kept himself in power by gaining two allies. His first ally was Crassus, who was a very rich and helped Caesar financially. His second ally was Pompey, who was a military leader. Together the three men formed a triumvirate that ruled Rome. One of Caesar’s first conquests was to go north and fight in Gaul to bring that territory into the Roman Empire. When he won a battle against the northern tribes, a triumphal arch to commemorate his conquest was built. Whenever Caesar completed something successful he always had something made for himself. These statues and monuments stayed in Rome, to show that he was groundbreaking man. He even later placed a statue of himself among the statues of the seven great kings that ruled 400 years before him, to show that he was their equal. He also collected his triumphs in essays on the Gallic Wars. He sent these back to Rome, writing in the third person, and only speaking of the positive things he was doing at war, claiming, “people willingly believe what they want to believe.” Caesar knew that he
Greenblatt, Miriam. Augustus and Imperial Rome . New York : Benchmark Books , 2000. 9. Hadas, Moses. Imperial Rome . New York : Time Incoporated , n.d. 10. Martin, Randal. Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion. Canada : Broadview Press, 2001. 11. Moore, Frank Gardener. The Roman 's World . USA: Columbia University Press , 1936. 12. Simkin, John. Adolf Hitler . 20 January 2012 <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhitler.htm>. 13. Steele, Anton Powel and Philip. The Greek News . Massachusetrs: Candlewick Press, 1996. 14. Waddington, Lorna L. Journal of Contemporary History . LA : SAGE publications , 2007. 15. Wood, Michael. In the Footsteps of Alexander. Berkeley: University of California Press , 1997.

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Britannica Online School Edition. (Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 5 Jan 2012.) .
[ 2 ]. Martin, Randal. (Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion . Canada : Broadview Press, 2001.)
[ 3 ]. Cahill, Thomas, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (New York: Anchor Books, 2003) page 7.
[ 4 ]. Michael Wood, In the Footsteps of Alexander (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997), page