Responce to Pictures that Lie

I picked two photographs to compare. The first shows a crowd of people with Leon Trotsky in the middle. The second shows the same crowd of people without Trotsky. His place is well edited to look like the rest of the grey and black surroundings. I chose this picture because I am interested in Russian history and it displays an important aspect of propaganda in the twentieth century, particularly the manipulation of history.

During the Soviet Union, no member of the communist party was safe from persecution for life. For example, Leon Trotsky was once a prominent member, second only to Lenin, but after he opposed Stalin on several important issues, he was exiled. Ultimately, he was assassinated in Mexico. The government thought that the knowledge of his existence was possibly detrimental to its reputation. Photographs containing Leon Trotsky were edited so that he was removed. While this particular attempt was not entirely successful since Trotsky is well known, it certainly contributed to the confusion and destitution of the Russian people. In addition, this type of propaganda on the national level is extremely harmful and dangerous. It allows politicians to control what people know and consequently how they behave. Millions of Russians were able to be exterminated during the Soviet Union because of propaganda that might now seem ridiculous.