Classic BBC Documentary by Adam Curtis available on the Internet Archive on the use of fear as a political tool, especially relevent to the first decade of the 21st Century in the West.

This film explores the origins in the 1940s and 50s of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East, and Neoconservatism in America, parallels between these movements, and their effect on the world today. From the introduction to Part 1:

“Both [the Islamists and Neoconservatives] were idealists who were born out of the failure of the liberal dream to build a better world. And both had a very similar explanation for what caused that failure. These two groups have changed the world, but not in the way that either intended. Together, they created todays nightmare vision of a secret, organized evil that threatens the world. A fantasy that politicians then found restored their power and authority in a disillusioned age. And those with the darkest fears became the most powerful. ” The Power of Nightmares, Baby It’s Cold Outside.

"The CardTalk gave us an effective means of playing a speaking record at a cost that would enable mass distribution in the villages. In years to come many tens of thousands would form the main tool used by Operation Mobilisation and other Christian organisations. One missionary working with the blind found the CardTalks ideal, and distributed them to Hindu and Muslim homes throughout India resulting in a number of people coming to the Lord.

"World Literature Crusade, with their 'Every Home Crusade' program faced the challenge that many thousands of homes in India, especially among the tribals, had no one who could read their literature. Permission was given for them to use our CardTalk design, but to have them made commercially, along with records in some hundred or more languages. In this way at least half a million more cardtalks were distributed."