"Propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship"

This quote by William Blum suggests that propaganda is a tool used by democracies to affect popular opinion in the same method that violence is utilized by dictatorships to control their people. Propaganda is utilized to shape popular opinion and develop a sense of unity and commitment to the government. It can be utilized to promote certain concepts, values, and beliefs, and to prevent others. In a democracy, propaganda is utilized to sway public opinion in favor of the federal government and its policies. In a dictatorship, violence is utilized to reduce dissent and keep control over the population. Both types of control are utilized to manipulate the public and preserve power. Eventually, this quote suggests that both democracies and dictatorships use different kinds of control to maintain power and influence public opinion.