propaganda of the deed

English

Alternative forms

• propaganda by the deed

Etymology

Calque of French propagande par le fait rendered into idiomatic English, from propagande (“propaganda”) and fait (“deed, act, action”); a phrasal usage originating among 19th century insurrectionary anarchist communists.

Pronunciation

• enPR: prŏ'-pə-gănʹ-də əv thə' dēdʹ
• IPA^(key): [ˌpɹɒ.pəˈɡæ̝ˑn.də əʋ ˌðə ˈdiːd]

Noun

propaganda of the deed (uncountable) (politics, historical)

1. A politically motivated act of violence, meant to broadcast an ideological message and serve as catalyst to ignite a spirit of socialist revolution among the proletariat against perceived oppressors.
2. (broadly) The theoretical principle of using acts of violence in the struggle to achieve radical left-wing political goals.

Usage notes

• Older direct translations of the French phrase render more literally as propaganda by the deed, which may also be used in some general contexts for those unfamiliar with the phrase to emphasize the meaning of "propaganda by (means of) a deed"; however as a developed term of art for the anarchist precept, in native English contexts the idiomatic construction propaganda of the deed is preferred.

Translations

a provocative act of political violence intended to inspire imitators and foment an anarchist revolt

• Catalan: propaganda pel fet f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 行動宣傳 / 行动宣传

• Esperanto: propagando per agado
• French: propagande par le fait (fr) f
• German: Propaganda der Tat f
• Greek: έμπρακτη προπαγάνδα m (émprakti propagánda)
• Italian: propaganda col fatto f, propaganda del fatto f
• Japanese: 行為によるプロパガンダ (kōi niyoru puropaganda)
• Persian: تبلیغ اعمال
• Polish: propaganda czynem f
• Portuguese: propaganda pela ação f, propaganda pelo ato f, propaganda pelo feito f
• Russian: пропага́нда де́лом f (propagánda délom), пропага́нда посту́пком f (propagánda postúpkom)
• Spanish: propaganda por el acto f, propaganda por el hecho f

See also

• agent provocateur
• saboteur
• terrorism

Further reading

• Insurrectionary anarchism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia