Definition of propagandist

The term "propagandist" originated during World War I, when the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) launched an intensive campaign to spread their views and influence foreign populations. This effort, known as propaganda, was overseen by a department called the Kaiser's Office for War Propaganda, which later became the Government Press Bureau. The German word for propaganda, "Propaganda," was first used in its modern sense by Catholic missionaries in 1881, to describe their efforts to spread their faith through publications. This usage was adopted by the German military as a more positive, Latin-sounding term to replace the previously used "Schall und Rauch" (noise and smoke). The term propagandist, denoting a person who specializes in creating and disseminating propaganda, emerged as a result of the widespread use of propaganda during World War I. After the war, the term became associated with the propagandistic efforts of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, and has since taken on a negative connotation, indicating someone who spreads false or misleading information to further a political or ideological agenda.