The creation of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith was partly a response to the Protestant Reformation. It set up a centralized control and coordination of the Church's basic religious messages. After the World War I, it became evident that many claims made by the U.S. government during the war blaming Germany for the responsibility for the war or for many purported German atrocities were false. The term was subsequently used to refer to many communications of totalitarian regimes, such as the fascists and Marxists, which promoted their particular ideologies. Theoretically, the opposite of propaganda is education which tries to present all-important sides of controversial issues and encourages listeners to make up their own minds.
Propaganda presents only one side and tries to influence the listener's opinion.
It is important for students to have some experience with propaganda techniques. Propaganda devices are used every day by advertisers who wish to sell their products or services. These techniques are usually used by politicians and editorial writers as well. News correspondents in principle try to objectively examine particular positions on issues. However, correspondents often become tools of propagandists promoting particular perspectives.