"Following victory in World War II, the US and Western Europe claimed to be the champions of the political ideals of democracy and freedom, along with the economic ideal of free market capitalism. Two decades into the twenty-first century, these once noble ideals have been reduced to little more than myths. Myths that bear scant resemblance to the realities of the powerful political and economic forces that dominate the Western world. This book examines the dangerous prospects we face as the societies built upon these myths begin to fragment and crumble. In an open and accessible style this book argues that much of the confusion that currently plagues the West is due to the fact that its social, economic and political systems are saturated by a little understood and rarely acknowledged system of propaganda. This book seeks to clear away this propagandistic façade in order to reveal where power really lies in Western societies, examining how this power functions and how it has corrupted the ideals of democracy, freedom and capitalism to suit its own ends. This volume will be of value to those interested in modern history and social and political history"--