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BA_C_HIST051217 mod 6 dis

BA_C_HIST051217 mod 6 dis

Q 6. An interesting topic that seems to surface from several documentaries we have seen so far is the attempt of today's Russian state to unite the country through a "manufactured" view of the world (this, of course, ties into the famous 1988 book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media by Noah Chomsky and Edward Herman, who argue that mass media in the U.S. is a powerful ideological tool that defends economic, political and social agendas of the "dominant elite."). First, discuss specific examples of this argument in the Chechnya. War Without a Trace documentary. Second, discuss whether media in any country (including the U.S.) creates such a "manufactured view of the world" based on the country's current cultural, socio-economic and political values.

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Russia may be held to qualify as an authoritarian state by a number of aspects, however, it is important to take note of the fact that like democracy, authoritarianism or dictatorship too has various forms and faces. Sociologically, it would be untenable for an authoritarian authority to guarantee the sustenance of its regime based solely on force and coercion. Some amount of tacit or latent support from the people is indispensable. In order to ensure this, authoritarian leaders resort to a skillful manipulation of all the three pillars of authoritarianism - repression, legitimation and co-option, in order to mobilize the support of the masses.