‘The Century of the Self’ is a BBC documentary series by Adam Curtis. It’s “about how those in power have used Freud’s theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy.” – Adam Curtis’ introduction to the first episode.
Episode I describes the influence of Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud. After successfully working with Woodrow Wilson during WWI, Bernays became a pioneer of ‘public relations’ in the thirties and forties, and he was one of the first to use Freud’s techniques to stimulate irrational needs for products in people’s minds. The story is set against the context of inter-war politics, and graphically describes how big business and governments borrow similar techniques from one another in their various attempts to influence the masses.
This episode comes highly recommended – watch below, or jump to the google video for more, it’s well worth a look.
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