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How does a state mobilize information? This course examines the century-long battle over truth and falsehood from Lenin’s early interest in wireless propaganda to Putin’s digital disinformation campaigns. We challenge the simple notion of "lies" to ask a more provocative question: was a public sphere possible under communism? Through a focus on the materiality of media—the evolving infrastructures of print, radio, television, and digital networks—we will analyze how communication technologies were built into indispensable tools for mass agitation, political organization, and socialist education, ultimately designed to transform both individual consciousness and collective action.