IA OPVLs

1 ~ 

Written in 1982 by Dennis Bloodworth, The Messiah and the Mandarins shows Mao's rise to power and methods to controlling China. The purpose of this book is to educate the general public about the use of propaganda and other materials as control, possibly to alert them to the possibility that it could happen again. The value in this source is that the author is not from or associated with Mao or China, and is not just publishing an elongated propaganda piece. This book was written after Mao's reign, and provides some historical perspective. The limitations for this source include the possible changes in translations and meaning since the author is not personally familiar with Mao's China.

2 ~ 

Leadership in Asia: Persuasive Communication..., by David Richman, explains Mao's campaigns and his ties with other (single-party state) leaders. The purpose of this book is to draw comparisons between Mao and other leaders, and explain the multi-faceted public face of Mao. The value of this book is the time period it spans (1850-1950), providing historical perspective, and the inclusion of other opinions than just those of Richman. The limitations of this source are the American bias, as well as that the book does not cover the last years of the Mao regime (-1976), providing a fragmented view of the time. 

WWII OPVLs

Source 2:

            Published in 1925, Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf is an autobiographical, persuasive book about his life and political ideals. The purpose was to educate the public about Hitler’s struggles and gain more support for his ideas. This excerpt discussed the Versailles Treaty and it’s “burden and repression” on the German People, with the intention of riling up the German people to come together in rebellion. The value of this source lies in its insight into Hitler’s views on German history and his desire for strong and united people. The limitation of this source is that it is a piece of propaganda, designed to gain support through a life story and idealistic political goals. The book and its purposes are biased.

Source 4:

            J.F. Dulles, in a foreward to P. Burnett’s Reparations at the Paris Peace Conference, wrote in 1940 about the American views of the punishment for Germany. The purpose was to introduce a book on America’s opinions, and garner some support towards the American viewpoint, in the public and possibly abroad. The value of this source is that it was written during the time period for Germany’s reparations, and that an American is writing for the American viewpoint, hopefully avoiding the ‘lost-in-translation’ problems. This source is limited, however, in that it is biased, and likely written by an outsider to the Versailles Treaty and the reparations for Germany. This could cause further bias or a loss of true fact as the information traveled to Dulles.