agitprop

See also: agit prop and agit-prop

English

WOTD – 26 December 2020

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Russian агитпро́п (agitpróp, “agitprop”), Агитпро́п (Agitpróp, “Agitprop (Department for Agitation and Propaganda of the Soviet Union)”), short for отде́л агитации и пропаганды (otdél agitacii i propagandy, “Department for Agitation and Propaganda”); analysable as a blend of agitation +‎ propaganda.

The verb is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈædʒɪtpɹɒp/

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈæd͡ʒətˌpɹɑp/, /-ˈpɹɑp/
• Hyphenation: agit‧prop

Noun

agitprop (countable and uncountable, plural agitprops) (politics)

1. (uncountable, also attributively) Political propaganda disseminated through art, drama, literature, etc., especially communist propaganda; (specifically, communism, historical) such propaganda formerly disseminated by the Department for Agitation and Propaganda of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
   • 2020 June 23, John Bolton, “The Singapore Sling”, in The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 96:

     The letter was pure puffery, probably written by some clerk in North Korea's agitprop bureau, but [Donald] Trump loved it.

   • 2024, Jeremy B. Rudd, A Practical Guide to Macroeconomics, p. 2

     Like most pieces of agitprop, the Lucas and Sargent paper vastly overstated the deficiencies of the old order.

2. (countable) An instance of such propaganda.
3. (countable) An organization or person engaged in disseminating such propaganda.

Alternative forms

• agit prop
• agit-prop

Derived terms

• agitpop

 

Translations

political propaganda disseminated through art, etc.

• Belarusian: агітпро́п m (ahitpróp)
• Estonian: agitpropaganda
• French: agitprop (fr) f
• Georgian: აგიტპროპი (agiṭṗroṗi)
• German: Agitprop f
• Greek: αγκιτπρόπ (agkitpróp)
• Italian: agit-prop m or f
• Kazakh: үгіт-насихат (ügıt-nasixat)
• Portuguese: agitprop (pt) m
• Russian: агитпро́п (ru) m (agitpróp)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: агитпроп m

  Roman: agitprop (sh) m

• Swedish: agitprop
• Turkish: agitprop
• Ukrainian: агітпро́п m (ahitpróp)

organization or person engaged in disseminating such propaganda

Verb

agitprop (third-person singular simple present agitprops, present participle agitpropping, simple past and past participle agitpropped)

1. (transitive, intransitive, politics) To disseminate (something as) political propaganda, especially communist propaganda, through art, drama, literature, etc.
   • 1929, Harry W[ellington] Laidler, Norman Thomas, editors, The Socialism of Our Times: A Symposium (Prelude to Depression), New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press, published 1976, →ISBN, page 241:

     Anyone who has seen a class struggler at work, agitpropping around Union Square, or the back streets of the Loop, realizes that, by the very nature of things, he or she is so possessed of that particular barricading dream as to lose touch with all reality, [...]

   • 1957, Trace, London: Villiers Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 10:

     With respect to a poet's facility in logomachy, boredom in the area of power politics theorisation, the seriousness or gaiety with which he agitprops his ego, the degree of his attitude toward the superior poet, or the rebelliousness or conformity of his disciples?

   • 1971, Stephen D[enis] Kertesz, editor, The Task of Universities in a Changing World (International Studies of the Committee on International Relations, University of Notre Dame), Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, →ISBN, page 89:

     This is to suggest that the university will leave behind its more limited work and bourgeois integrity in order to undertake the task of brain-trusting and agitpropping for the revolution.

   • 1987, Fatma Mansur, Phoenix in Her Blood: A Historical Entertainment, Beverley, North Humberside: Eothen Press, →ISBN, page 157:

     Envoys and missionaries agitpropped in the four corners of the Empire, [...]

   • 1990 December 20, Mel Gussow, “Review/Theater; apartheid re-echoes in a musical rendering of a strike’s bitterness”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 25 May 2015, section C, page 11, column 1:

     More an insecure platform for Mr. [Mbongeni] Ngema's didacticism than a play with a life of its own, "Township Fever" is agit-propped with polemical sloganeering.

   • 1993, Instauration, Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Howard Allen Enterprises, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 31, column 1:

     The double agent was Grant Bristow, who agit-propped for—not against—the right-wing Heritage Front and is now hiding in a safe house.

   • 2005, Richard Grossinger, On the Integration of Nature: Post-9/11 Biopolitical Notes, Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, →ISBN, page 99:

     I knew that he [Allen Van Newkirk] agitpropped other poetry readings and media events, e.g. the Underground Press Syndicate conference in Madison (shouting, "All media are lies").

Alternative forms

• agit-prop

Derived terms

• agitpropper
• agitpropping (adjective, noun)

 

Translations

to disseminate political propaganda through art, etc.

Further reading

• agitprop on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian агитпро́п (agitpróp); equivalent to agitaatio +‎ propaganda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑɡitˌprop/, [ˈɑ̝ɡit̪ˌpro̞p]
• Rhymes: -op
• Hyphenation^(key): agit‧prop

Noun

agitprop

1. (historical) agitprop

Declension

Inflection of agitprop (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		agitprop	agitpropit
genitive		agitpropin	agitpropien
partitive		agitpropia	agitpropeja
illative		agitpropiin	agitpropeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		agitprop	agitpropit
accusative	nom.	agitprop	agitpropit
	gen.	agitpropin
genitive		agitpropin	agitpropien
partitive		agitpropia	agitpropeja
inessive		agitpropissa	agitpropeissa
elative		agitpropista	agitpropeista
illative		agitpropiin	agitpropeihin
adessive		agitpropilla	agitpropeilla
ablative		agitpropilta	agitpropeilta
allative		agitpropille	agitpropeille
essive		agitpropina	agitpropeina
translative		agitpropiksi	agitpropeiksi
abessive		agitpropitta	agitpropeitta
instructive		—	agitpropein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of agitprop (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative agitpropini agitpropini accusative nom. agitpropini agitpropini gen. agitpropini genitive agitpropini agitpropieni partitive agitpropiani agitpropejani inessive agitpropissani agitpropeissani elative agitpropistani agitpropeistani illative agitpropiini agitpropeihini adessive agitpropillani agitpropeillani ablative agitpropiltani agitpropeiltani allative agitpropilleni agitpropeilleni essive agitpropinani agitpropeinani translative agitpropikseni agitpropeikseni abessive agitpropittani agitpropeittani instructive — — comitative — agitpropeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative agitpropisi agitpropisi accusative nom. agitpropisi agitpropisi gen. agitpropisi genitive agitpropisi agitpropiesi partitive agitpropiasi agitpropejasi inessive agitpropissasi agitpropeissasi elative agitpropistasi agitpropeistasi illative agitpropiisi agitpropeihisi adessive agitpropillasi agitpropeillasi ablative agitpropiltasi agitpropeiltasi allative agitpropillesi agitpropeillesi essive agitpropinasi agitpropeinasi translative agitpropiksesi agitpropeiksesi abessive agitpropittasi agitpropeittasi instructive — — comitative — agitpropeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative agitpropimme agitpropimme accusative nom. agitpropimme agitpropimme gen. agitpropimme genitive agitpropimme agitpropiemme partitive agitpropiamme agitpropejamme inessive agitpropissamme agitpropeissamme elative agitpropistamme agitpropeistamme illative agitpropiimme agitpropeihimme adessive agitpropillamme agitpropeillamme ablative agitpropiltamme agitpropeiltamme allative agitpropillemme agitpropeillemme essive agitpropinamme agitpropeinamme translative agitpropiksemme agitpropeiksemme abessive agitpropittamme agitpropeittamme instructive — — comitative — agitpropeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative agitpropinne agitpropinne accusative nom. agitpropinne agitpropinne gen. agitpropinne genitive agitpropinne agitpropienne partitive agitpropianne agitpropejanne inessive agitpropissanne agitpropeissanne elative agitpropistanne agitpropeistanne illative agitpropiinne agitpropeihinne adessive agitpropillanne agitpropeillanne ablative agitpropiltanne agitpropeiltanne allative agitpropillenne agitpropeillenne essive agitpropinanne agitpropeinanne translative agitpropiksenne agitpropeiksenne abessive agitpropittanne agitpropeittanne instructive — — comitative — agitpropeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative agitpropinsa agitpropinsa accusative nom. agitpropinsa agitpropinsa gen. agitpropinsa genitive agitpropinsa agitpropiensa partitive agitpropiaan agitpropiansa agitpropejaan agitpropejansa inessive agitpropissaan agitpropissansa agitpropeissaan agitpropeissansa elative agitpropistaan agitpropistansa agitpropeistaan agitpropeistansa illative agitpropiinsa agitpropeihinsa adessive agitpropillaan agitpropillansa agitpropeillaan agitpropeillansa ablative agitpropiltaan agitpropiltansa agitpropeiltaan agitpropeiltansa allative agitpropilleen agitpropillensa agitpropeilleen agitpropeillensa essive agitpropinaan agitpropinansa agitpropeinaan agitpropeinansa translative agitpropikseen agitpropiksensa agitpropeikseen agitpropeiksensa abessive agitpropittaan agitpropittansa agitpropeittaan agitpropeittansa instructive — — comitative — agitpropeineen agitpropeinensa

Inflection of agitprop (type 5*B/risti) singular plural nominative agitprop agitpropit genitive agitpropin agitproppien partitive agitproppia agitproppia accusative agitprop agitpropin agitpropit inessive agitpropissa agitpropeissa elative agitpropista agitpropeista illative agitproppiin agitproppeihin adessive agitpropilla agitpropeilla ablative agitpropilta agitpropeilta allative agitpropille agitpropeille essive agitproppina agitproppeina translative agitpropiksi agitpropeiksi abessive agitpropitta agitpropeitta instructive – agitpropein comitative – agitproppeineen

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

agitprop f (plural agitprops)

1. agitprop

Further reading

• “agitprop”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English agitprop.

Noun

agitprop m (plural agitprops)

1. agitprop (Communist propaganda)

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

agitprop m (Cyrillic spelling агитпроп)

1. agitprop