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This is the fourth article of my series on acquiring and holding political power in a nation. For those just beginning the series, the links below will take you to Parts 1, 2, and 3:

1. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/acquiring-political-power-part-11-1569270/1/20
2. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/acquiring-political-power-part-2-1571151/1/20
3. http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/acquiring-political-power-part-3-1573254/1/20

You are reading Part 4 of my series on acquiring political power. We last ended with my section on formulating the fundamental message of a political campaign, a crucial step on the road towards political relevance.

Even the best message is useless if it does not reach the ears of the citizenry. The proper dissemination of information is crucial for any leader that wishes to run a serious political organization. It should be made a top priority, therefore, for the leader of any new party to begin spreading the gospel of his organization to the masses. The methods of spreading a political message can be lumped together into three separate classes, namely:

1. Passive dissemination. Passive dissemination relies upon the natural tendencies of citizens to speak to one another, and, in doing so, spread the desired political message of the leader. Passive dissemination begins when the leader and his group of core advisors start talking about their political plans to those outside of their core group, informing acquaintances, contacts, and friends about the goals of their new organization. These people in turn will spread the same news to their contacts and acquaintances, who in turn repeat the same process, going further and further down the line. An organization following the passive dissemination doctrine does not make use of either articles or advertisements, but instead places all of its hopes in the ability of its contacts to drum up support and new members.

2. Active Dissemination. As opposed to passive dissemination, active dissemination places its trust in the mass media to find new supporters, utilizing articles and advertisements extensively. Following this doctrine, the members of the inner circle of the party blitz the media with a barrage of newspapers and advertisements, spreading the message of their party. This method is by far the most common method of political message dissemination.

3. Class-based Dissemination. Class-based dissemination combines elements of both active and passive dissemination, but the efforts to grow the political movement are instead focused on the established political class. The party leader and his inner circle selectively target established politicians deemed likely to have a reason for switching sides, enticing them to join the new movement with either favors or outright bribes. In turn, these newly-recruited figures use their political influence to attract followers from their old party.

Of the three, active dissemination is the most effective method of spreading a political message. Passive dissemination has no guarantee of success, or even that the friends of the ruling circle will spread the word at all. Class-based dissemination relies too heavily upon the whimsy of politicians to effectively succeed, as either politicians will refuse or the bribes necessary will be far beyond the resources of the party. Active dissemination reaches a large number of citizens, which in turn will provide a larger number of new party recruits.

The next section shall be: Maintaining Political Power - An Introduction.

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Albert Neurath