AGITATION, PROPAGANDA, INFORMATION-PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE: HISTORY OF TERMS APPEARANCE, THEIR MEANING AND INTERCONNECTION

Abstract

Main topics and milestones of development psychological warfare theoretical background are under analysis. It has been determined that the term «propaganda» is supposed to be the oldest one among the above stated terms (first usage dates back to the ХVІІ century). At the beginning of the ХХ century such terms as «agitation» came into usage, in approximately 20 years – «psychological warfare» and «information warfare», at the end of «Cold War» period – a term «information-psychological warfare» was formed. Thus, terminology that describes influence on people`s conscious underwent changes in historical perspective, moreover, its meaning had been accumulated according to political, military and economical demands. In the military field somewhat transfer of the information-psychological influence from side means of «correction» mass conscious into one of the core one attracts its attention. Today, determination of the above mentioned terms is of great issue. Some researches point at their ideological meaning, another – at psychological, the other one – at communicative. With utilization of these terms, one can understand influence of verbal and non-verbal information on a person or group of people. Further connection is seen in the military field: propaganda and agitation are the means of psychological operation. The least is used on the tactical level of psychological warfare and is a part of information warfare. And as information is utilized in the psychological warfare it is then a part of information warfare. Proposed analysis in the article gives the opportunity to conclude that putting aside ideological meaning; such terms as agitation, propaganda, information warfare, psychological warfare, informationpsychological warfare in their general sense possess almost the same meaning.