Agitprop

/ˈædʒɪtprɑːp/ noun

Definition

Art, theater, music, or literature created for the purpose of promoting a political ideology or agitating public opinion; political propaganda through artistic means.

Etymology

From Russian 'agitpropa', a contraction of 'agitatsiya' (agitation) and 'propaganda' (propaganda). This term was coined in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and entered English vocabulary as communism spread, maintaining its Russian-origin form.

Kelly Says

Agitprop is one of history's most interesting experiments in art and politics—Soviet artists created street theater, graphic art, and songs designed to convince people to support revolution, and this 'art as weapon' idea influenced artists worldwide from Mexico to the 1960s counterculture.

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