Mass Culture

Propaganda, which combined music, theater, and newspapers, stimulated the rise of mass culture after the war by constructing an audience for film and radio. Mass culture differed from elite culture in that it appealed to working-class and middle-class tastes. It also relied on new technology that allowed it to reach citizens all across the nation. Mass culture thus became much more closely aligned with the nation than elite culture.

Radio reached millions of homes, providing entertainment for even uneducated families while creating a sense of intimacy between radio personality and listener. It also served political interests, particularly in authoritarian states where it promoted the state agenda, although it was also used against dictatorships. Film also promoted certain agendas, either to entertain or propagandize a population. Capitalists employed radio and film for their own purposes—the advertisement of their products—and succeeded in reaching even international markets.

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