Wiktionary

propaganda of the deed

English edit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
  A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up.
Please see the discussion on Requests for cleanup(+) for more information and remove this template after the problem has been dealt with.

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Calque of French propagande par le fait rendered into idiomatic English, from propagande (“propaganda”) and fait (“deed, act, action”); a phrasal usage originating among 19th century insurrectionary anarchist communists.

Pronunciation edit

  • enPR: prŏ'-pə-gănʹ-də əv thə' dēdʹ
  • IPA(key): [ˌpɹɒ.pəˈɡæ̝ˑn.də əʋ ˌðə ˈdiːd]

Noun edit

propaganda of the deed (uncountable) (politics, historical)

  1. A politically motivated act of violence, meant to broadcast an ideological message and serve as catalyst to ignite a spirit of socialist revolution among the proletariat against perceived oppressors.
  2. (broadly) The theoretical principle of using acts of violence in the struggle to achieve radical left-wing political goals.

Usage notes edit

  • Older direct translations of the French phrase render more literally as propaganda by the deed, which may also be used in some general contexts for those unfamiliar with the phrase to emphasize the meaning of "propaganda by (means of) a deed"; however as a developed term of art for the anarchist precept, in native English contexts the idiomatic construction propaganda of the deed is preferred.

Translations edit

See also edit

Further reading edit

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=propaganda_of_the_deed&oldid=77923857"