--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Soviet system of propaganda and…" description: "\"The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular message as for the purpose of making learn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/masha-gessen-2322_censorship_the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-cens_1587074.jpg" --- # The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not… ![“The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular message as for the purpose of making learning impossible, replacing facts with mush, and handing the faceless state a monopoly on defining an ever-shifting reality.” quote by Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/masha-gessen-2322_censorship_the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-cens_1587074.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/masha-gessen-2322_censorship_the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-cens_1587074.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/masha-gessen-2322_censorship_the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-cens_1587074.jpg) > “The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular message as for the purpose of making learning impossible, replacing facts with mush, and handing the faceless state a monopoly on defining an ever-shifting reality.” [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The regime uses propaganda and censorship to block true learning, replacing facts with vague narratives, giving the state exclusive control over reality. **In simple terms:** State controls truth to keep people uninformed. Key Takeaway Question truth, seek diverse sources. Themes propaganda censorship authoritarianism Mood skeptical defiant Type political analytical When to use this quote - education - political discourse - media consumption - critical thinking Key Concepts information control reality construction media manipulation Questions to Reflect On - How does propaganda shape public perception? - What can individuals do to counter state narratives? A Different Perspective Even with censorship, underground networks can spread truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Propaganda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/propaganda/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [Propaganda by censorship takes two forms: the selective control of information to favour a particular viewpoint, and the deliberate doctoring of information in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-c-brown/propaganda-by-censorship-takes-two-forms-the-selective-control-of/) [James A.C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-c-brown/) > [We live in an age where there is both more expression and more self-censorship than existed even a decade ago. Alas, laws have immunized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/we-live-in-an-age-where-there-is-both-more-expression-and-more-self/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [“Mao sanctified propaganda and censorship as essential parts of Thought Work, and he relied on them to reframe the Long March as a strategic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-osnos/mao-sanctified-propaganda-and-censorship-as-essential-parts-of/) [Evan Osnos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-osnos/) > [Soviet propaganda is remarkably effective and the Americans are even more remarkably stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/soviet-propaganda-is-remarkably-effective-and-the-americans-are-even/) [Mohammed Reza Pahlavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-reza-pahlavi/) > [Textbooks are Soviet propaganda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell/textbooks-are-soviet-propaganda/) [Jerry Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell/) > [“Each side, hypocritical enough to pretend that it lives up to its own hype, is equally insistent that the other side’s worst is truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/each-side-hypocritical-enough-to-pretend-that-it-lives-up-to-its-own/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [It is absurd for anyone to think that Soviet "Marxism" is a correct application of the thought of Karl Marx. No doubt Soviet propaganda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/it-is-absurd-for-anyone-to-think-that-soviet-marxism-is-a-correct/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [As I look back at the span of the Cold War in those early days, in the '50s, for example, there was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-haig/as-i-look-back-at-the-span-of-the-cold-war-in-those-early-days-in-the/) [Alexander Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-haig/) > [In Northern Estonia, the Soviet authorities didn't have a recipe on how to fight against the popularity of Finnish TV. Audiences didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaak-kilmi/in-northern-estonia-the-soviet-authorities-didn-t-have-a-recipe-on/) [Jaak Kilmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaak-kilmi/) > [“People are dying because of ignorance. They are dying because unremitting propaganda is denying them essential safety information. They are dying because legislators and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-milton-trott/people-are-dying-because-of-ignorance-they-are-dying-because/) Dominic Milton Trott > [“Without some form of censorship, propaganda in the strict sense of the word is impossible. In order to conduct a propaganda there must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/without-some-form-of-censorship-propaganda-in-the-strict-sense-of-the/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [China's censorship and propaganda systems may be complex and multilayered, but they are obviously not well coordinated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/china-s-censorship-and-propaganda-systems-may-be-complex-and/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [“The first casualty of war is truth, and the war on drugs is no different”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-milton-trott/the-first-casualty-of-war-is-truth-and-the-war-on-drugs-is-no/) Dominic Milton Trott > [Without some form of censorship, propaganda in the strict sense of the word is impossible. In order to conduct propaganda there must be some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/without-some-form-of-censorship-propaganda-in-the-strict-sense-of-the-2/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [ \[Censors are\] people with secret attractions to various temptations... They are defending themselves under the pretext of defending others, because at heart they fear… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-jones/censors-are-people-with-secret-attractions-to-various-temptations/) [Ernest Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-jones/) ## More by Masha Gessen > [There's this American pretense, which is the pretense of the journalist with the view from nowhere - which has somehow morphed into the journalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/there-s-this-american-pretense-which-is-the-pretense-of-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Where incompetence is prized, it is ever-present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/where-incompetence-is-prized-it-is-ever-present/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Trump, like Putin, has a demonstrably thin skin and short temper when it comes to being criticized by journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/trump-like-putin-has-a-demonstrably-thin-skin-and-short-temper-when/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [You risk everything if you so much as join a legal protest demonstration in Russia. It raises the stakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/you-risk-everything-if-you-so-much-as-join-a-legal-protest/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Donald Trump creates word salads. And that is awful to language, because we try to parse out what he's saying and try to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/donald-trump-creates-word-salads-and-that-is-awful-to-language/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [It is the first time since 1993 that Russians have come out into the streets without an explicit permission from the government to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/it-is-the-first-time-since-1993-that-russians-have-come-out-into-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think Donald Trump was brought to power by Americans. They voted for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-donald-trump-was-brought-to-power-by-americans-they-voted-for/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [In the 1990s, there was a lot of reform, and there was a lot of forward movement on a lot of fronts in Russia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/in-the-1990s-there-was-a-lot-of-reform-and-there-was-a-lot-of-forward/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Poverty and scarcity are actually very good for totalitarian societies. They maintain that sense of mobilization that's essential for totalitarian societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/poverty-and-scarcity-are-actually-very-good-for-totalitarian/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I think that Putin's strategy has been throwing a lot of money, fairly haphazardly, at a lot of projects aimed at disrupting Western relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-think-that-putin-s-strategy-has-been-throwing-a-lot-of-money-fairly/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [Both Trump and Putin use language primarily to communicate not facts or opinions but power: it's not what the words mean that matters but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/both-trump-and-putin-use-language-primarily-to-communicate-not-facts/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I worked both as a Russian journalist and an American journalist and ran a bunch of magazines in Moscow over the course of about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-worked-both-as-a-russian-journalist-and-an-american-journalist-and/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [I have no doubt that there are Russian efforts to disturb the fabric of American democracy, but they're disruption efforts. They're troublemaking efforts. They're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-are-russian-efforts-to-disturb-the-fabric/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) > [For years I was the only publicly out gay person who was not a full-time gay activist: my position as a quasi-foreigner gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/for-years-i-was-the-only-publicly-out-gay-person-who-was-not-a-full/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Explore all 171 Masha Gessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) ## More Censorship quotes > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [“Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/censors-don-t-want-children-exposed-to-ideas-different-from-their-own/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/censorship-is-the-child-of-fear-and-the-father-of-ignorance/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I don't believe in censorship in any form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/i-don-t-believe-in-censorship-in-any-form/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [We must be talented, powerful and resilient creatures indeed given how much we manage to produce despite the constant undercutting, ridicule and needless censorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/we-must-be-talented-powerful-and-resilient-creatures-indeed-given-how/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [When there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-there-is-official-censorship-it-is-a-sign-that-speech-is-serious/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“I agree that it's a shame some books have to suffer ratings that clearly are invalid. However I can't think of a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/i-agree-that-it-s-a-shame-some-books-have-to-suffer-ratings-that/) Otis Y. Chandler > [I think that, honestly, people's censorship issues are personal but I disagree with most of those personal choices that I see others make. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/i-think-that-honestly-people-s-censorship-issues-are-personal-but-i/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [Art made tongue-tied by authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/art-made-tongue-tied-by-authority/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The tendency to want what has been banned and therefore to presume that it is more worthwhile is not limited to such commodities as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/the-tendency-to-want-what-has-been-banned-and-therefore-to-presume/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [The only thing that is obscene is censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-thing-that-is-obscene-is-censorship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a feature film, the question of censorship always comes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/in-a-feature-film-the-question-of-censorship-always-comes-up/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-conceal/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [ If no one speaks out for \[young readers\], if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/if-no-one-speaks-out-for-young-readers-if-they-don-t-speak-out-for/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) [Browse all 884 Censorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular message as for the purpose of making learning impossible, replacing facts with mush, and handing the faceless state a monopoly on defining an ever-shifting reality.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Masha Gessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-censorship-existed-not-so-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Censorship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-censorship-existed-not-so-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/masha-gessen-2322_censorship_the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-cens_1587074.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/masha-gessen-2322_censorship_the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-cens_1587074.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/000/masha-gessen-2322_censorship_the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-cens_1587074.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Soviet system of propaganda and censorship existed not so much for the purpose of spreading a particular…” — Masha Gessen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Masha Gessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Soviet system of propaganda and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-censorship-existed-not-so-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/the-soviet-system-of-propaganda-and-censorship-existed-not-so-much/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```