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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 March 2023
People who hold political power must convince the masses that they have the legitimate authority to exercise it. They use patriotism and propaganda to persuade citizens that they have a duty to their fellow citizens to obey government mandates. The elite argue that the obligation to comply with the government’s rules amounts to a social contract, even though that term is reserved for academic use. This chapter uses social contract theory to explain how the messaging of the political elite creates citizen compliance, and how the elite are able to use this to their advantage. Social contract theory depicts the social contract as a way to escape from a prisoners’ dilemma, making everyone better off. This chapter uses that framework to show how the elite benefit from propagandizing the masses to believe that they have an obligation to abide by the rules designed by the elite.
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