Lecture Notes: A Walkthrough of World History (COMM103)

**LECTURE 1: A WALKTHROUGH OF WORLD HISTORY** **Ancient Times (B.C. - 300 A.D.)** - Greeks first before Romans (cradle of Western Civilization) - **Ancient Greeks** - **Stentorophonic Horn** - Communication device used by Alexander the Great - Deliver messages to thousands of people;...

**LECTURE 1: A WALKTHROUGH OF WORLD HISTORY** **Ancient Times (B.C. - 300 A.D.)** - Greeks first before Romans (cradle of Western Civilization) - **Ancient Greeks** - **Stentorophonic Horn** - Communication device used by Alexander the Great - Deliver messages to thousands of people; inform armies of locations - Fire signals - Pigeons to deliver messages - Complex tablet and torch system of communication - **Ancient Rome** - Chariot races, gladiatorial combats, animal hunts, pantomimes (mass media) - Circus maximus, Theater of Pompey, Flavian Amphitheater (thousands of people) - In **1972**, English progressive band **Pink Floyd** did a concert documentary in Theater of Pompey without a single audience - Posters were heavily used (gladiators) - Celebrities flourished (souvenirs) - ***"I am Scorpus, the glory of the clamorous circus, your applause, Rome, and brief darling."*** - epigram created by a poet for a well-known charioteer **Middle Ages (300 A.D. to 1300 A.D.)** - **Medieval** and **Dark Ages** (little to no technological and scientific advances were made because of holy fear) - Age of chivalry, crusades, campaign to reclaim Jerusalem - Limited because of religious convictions, Christianity and Islam (Ottoman Empire) **Age of Discovery (1400 -- 1600 A.D.)** - Europeans started exploring - Prelude of the age of empires (became bigger than before) - Spanish occupation in the Philippines **Imperialism** - Europeans built empires around the world (Russian, Prussian, British) **Reformation** - **Martin Luther** (German) - antiestablishment figure who nailed the 95 thesis which listed recommendations/suggestions on what the church must start and stop doing - Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the door of Castle church of Wittenburg - Created **Protestantism** (2^nd^ largest form of Christianism) - Luther was ostracized **French Revolution** - French peasants put an end to the monarchy (Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette) - Gave the world an idea that the monarchy can be toppled by ordinary people - French revolution ended when monarchy was toppled - Followed by Napoleon Bonaparte - Maximillion (Committee for Public Safety -- essentially Martial Law) - reign of terror - Rounded a shortlist of people who supported monarchy - ***"Égalité, Liberte, Faternite"*** (Napoleonic Code) **Democracy/Liberalism** - Rule of the mob; **Battle of Waterloo** where Napoleon was defeated - Idea that all men have equal rights - Off-shoot of the French Revolution; European countries followed French model - Rizal saw this and sought to change the system in the Philippines **Industrial Revolution** - **Rise of Capitalism** (imagery of factories belching smoke from chimneys) - So many inventions were created - So many factories were built **(1700 -- 1800)** - Laborers exploited by capitalism (child labor was at an all-time high) - Widened the gap between the haves and the have-nots **Communism** - **Karl Marx** and **Friedrich Engels** wrote **"Communist Manifesto"** & **"Dos Capital"** - ***"A specter is haunting Europe, the specter of communism,"*** first line in his book - Equal distribution of wealth - Marx (German economist) got his idea by observing first-hand the exploitation of laborers by capitalists (during industrial revolution) **World War I (1914 -- 1918)** - ***"the great war"*** between world powers (most destructive war until WWII - **Germany** vs **US, Britain, France** - Germany lost and was made to pay reparation **(Treaty of Versailles)** which bankrupted Germany, Hitler used this to rise to power **Russian Revolution** - Rule of czars replaced by communism led by **Vlademir Lenin (1917)** - First application of Marx's writings - Romanovs was murdered - Lenin takeover -- Red October - **Josef Stalin** (successor) and **Leon Trotsky** (2^nd^ in command) were Bolsheviks/Bolshevism which used arms to usher change - Birth of the communist Russia, **Union of Soviet Socialist Republics** (USSR) - Soviet Union **World War II** - Nazi Germany, Italy, Japan **(Axis Powers)** vs US, Britain, France, and USSR led by Stalin **(Allied Forces)** in **1939 -- 1945** - Started when Hitler invaded Poland from Russia in 1939 (betrayed Russian pact) - Italy -- **fascist** (violent means) **The Cold War (1947 -- 1991)** - Antagonism between democratic West and communist bloc - No actual physical conflict happened **The Cuban Missile Crisis** - Tense 13-day nuclear stand-off between the US and USSR - Cuba as "dark horse" (communist then and now); hermetically sealed - USSR was sending missiles to Cuba led by Fidel Castro (president of Cuba) because Cuba was just below the US (proximity made it an act of war) - US Naval Blockade to prevent more missiles from further entering Cuba - Defense Readiness Condition (DEFCON) level was raised to 2 (Critical) - **Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)** - **John F. Kennedy** and **Nikita Khruschev** made an agreement for Soviet Union will remove missiles in Cuba and US to stand down and end the blockade - US also must remove their Jupiter missiles in Turkey (hidden clause) **Post-Cold War Era** - Tail end of 20^th^ century - Russia and China dropped communism - Globalization - Terrorism is the new enemy of the US - **Fall of the iron curtain** made possible by **Mikhail Gorbachev** - **Glasnot and Peretroika** -- political reform and economic to kickstart stagnant economy of the Soviet Union, adapting to globalization **Post-9/11** - World after 9/11 (World Trade Center Attack) - Heightened fear of foreigners; immigration issue - Islamophobia (suicide-bombing and xenophobia) - Rise of Islamic Extremism and yet another set of wars in the Middle East - War on Terrorism **Post-Truth** - What shapes public opinion are not anymore facts but appeals to emotions - **Age of Trump** (make America great again) - **Era of the strongman** (Duterte, Putin, Bolsonaro - Brazil, Xi - China, etc.) - Era of Fake News (well-oiled propaganda machine) **LECTURE 2: THEORIES OF THE PRESS** **Introduction** - **1450** - Birth of Mass Media (invention of printing press) - Mass media influenced society and vice versa - Several of this media-society relationship were created to explain its dynamism **(Theories of the Press)** - In modern times, governments would pick one of these theories/modes and apply it in their respective societies - Traditionally: there are FOUR Theories of the Press by Siebert et all (1956) **The Four (4) Theories of the Press** 1. **Authoritarianism** - Began in Middle Ages - Time of monarchs, lording it over the people, and the Roman Catholic church stood unchallenged - Restrictive; with freedom but has a price to pay; little freedom - Media privately-owned but experiences great censorship from authorities - Forbidden to say anything against the state - During Spanish Colonial times (Rizal, GOMBURZA, etc.) - Media can exist and do whatever they want as long as they do not do anything that would harm the state (ex. If friendly with the church, then they will be left alone) - Declined when the Reformation, scientific revolutions, and political revolutions challenged the powers and authorities of the monarchies and the Roman Catholic church - The more you restrict information, the more people seek it (Streisand effect) - **4 Degrees of Control** 1. Countries where control of some or all of the media is complete 2. Countries where political criticism by some or all of the media is possible, but where censorship operates 3. Countries where special laws or other discriminatory legislation expose media workers and executives to arrest and persecution 4. Countries where unofficial methods discourage criticism or opposition from the media 2. **Libertarianism** - Started in the **late 1600s** in England, grew stronger after the French Revolution - Media is a "free marketplace of ideas" - Media is privately-owned and experiences minimal censorship and control of the state - Decentralized monarchy; people (media) has the power - Age of Enlightenment; Age of Reason (democracy) - Media is for checking on the government (to a fault) - Burden of proof is on the accused (should be the other way around) - Ex: All the President's Men -- Movie (1976) - Attacks on government is tolerated - Anyone can put up media companies as long as they have the money - In the long run, its purpose got defeated as only the big capitalists were able to own and control the media (used media for business' sake) 3. **Soviet Totalitarianism (Social Centralist Theory/Model)** - Started by the **USSR** (but also briefly used by Nazi Germany) - Media is a tool of the state to institute certain social changes and maintain public control - Compared to Authoritarianism, here the task of the press is to ***work for the government***; in Authoritarianism, its task is not to commit mistakes - Press is of the state (one and the same); Media is strictly state-owned - Great surveillance and censorship - Invasions of privacy - Science and technology, and the 4^th^ Mass Medium (the internet) slowly caused this theory/mode to decay and collapse (Fall of Iron Curtain -- 1989) - Ex. The Lives of Others -- Movie (2006) - Ex. Marcos regime 4. **Social Responsibility** - One glorified by most scholars - Began in **1950s** in the US - Response to too much of libertarianism (unimportant news, endangerment of public morals, media's invasion of privacy of ordinary citizens, media becoming a big capitalist's business tool, etc.) - Broadcast/print only what is helpful, don't be irresponsible - Media is privately-owned but the government is allowed to take over when necessary - **Audience:** general public - **Development Communication** - 5^th^ theory according to Dr. Flor (UPLB) - DevCom developed in the 3^rd^ World and is for the 3^rd^ World (developing countries) - Media is used by government agencies, NGOs, grassroots, orgs, state colleges and universities - **Audience:** farmers, urban poor, rural women, out-of-school youths - **Forbidden:** manipulative advertising, political ads, immorality/obscenity, messages with no positive social purpose - Non-profit - **Soviet Totalitarianism** (social change and sometimes of the state) **+ Social Responsibility** (aims to broadcast/publish what is helpful) **= Development Communication** **LECTURE 3: ROLES OF MASS MEDIA** **Acknowledgement** - Based on the writings of **Dr. Crispin C. Maslog** (UPLB-DevCom Professor) - From Dr. Maslog's book **"Communication, Values, and Society"** **(1994)** **Three Areas, Three Roles** 1. **Politics/Political Role** - **Disseminating information** - Coverage the **Vietnam War** **(1960s -- 70s)** is the 1^st^ televised war in world history - We knew what was happening at that time because of mass media - Walter Cronkite (broadcast journalist) who covered the Vietnam War conflict - **Creating Public Opinion** - Entice the public to think and feel about an issue or person - Campaign ads - **Reflect Public Opinion** - To assess the public mood - To reinforce propaganda Examples: commentaries, letters to the editor, surveys, patronage, and non-patronage of TV stations, etc. - **Watchdog on Government** - Check and balance on the government - Safeguard against corruption and abuse 2. **Economic Role** - **Advertising of Consumer Products** - Increases economic activity (more exposed, more people buy) - Makes people aware of their needs and aware of products that will meet their needs - Will result to higher GNP (Gross National Product) - **Advertising Economic Programs** - Instead of consumer goods, advertise values that will boost the economy - Promote savings in banks - **Masagana 99 campaign** **(1970s)** to increase rice production; exportation; 99 is the number of sacks yielded per hectare 3. **Social Role** - **Promote Pop Culture** - Music (Beatlemania in America, etc.) - Dance steps popularized by TV (88, etc) - Fashion (dictated by magazines) - **Build a Nation** - Address our lack of unity - Teach values like self-discipline - Example: televised fight of Manny Pacquiao fights and Miss Universe - Heightens love for country - **Entertaining People** - Sports - Showbiz (Movies, Soap Operas, Variety Shows, Gossip Shows, etc.) - Travel Shows - Example: netflix, youtube (particularly during the pandemic) - Entertains amidst the crisis **Maslog's Proposal** 4. **Development Role of Mass Media** - Mass media as **"Mobility Multiplier"** by **Daniel Lerner** - **1950** study by **Columbia University** - Studied Middle Eastern countries - Media helps people envision what their country could be under more agreeable circumstances - For the country to improve - ***"The country that is more developed industrially only shows, to the less developled, the image of its own future." -* Karl Marx** - **Four Stages of Development** a. Urbanization b. Development of Literacy Skills c. Media Participation d. Political Participation - Empathy causes people to transition from one step to the other - **Empathy** -- seeing yourself in the other person's shoes (a country seeing themselves in another country's shoes) - ***How is empathy developed?*** (Exposure to Mass Media) - **Wilbur Schramm** later on picked up where Lerner left off - Communication must be used to contribute to the feeling of nation-ness - Communication must be used as the voice of national planning - Communication must be used to help teach the necessary skills - Communication must be used to help extend the effective market - Communication must be used to help prepare people to play their new roles - Communication must be used to prepare the people to play their role as a nation among nations - The press causes people to be **"mobile"** in the **Four Stages of Development** - **Mass Media causes development**