Manipulative Impact on Mass Consciousness in Historical Context: Cognitive Aspect

The article examines the manipulative impact on mass consciousness in historical retrospect using cognitive modeling methods. The authors integrate the methodological principles of cognitive history and frame semantics to analyze propaganda practices in England in the second half of the 17th century — a period of the formation of the public sphere, the development of the press, and the emergence of the party system. The empirical material examined includes pamphlets and newspaper publications from the era of the English Civil Wars, the Protectorate, and the Restoration, demonstrating hidden manipulative strategies alongside overt propaganda. The study draws on a dynamic, integrative cognitive mega-model of manipulation in media discourse. It is demonstrated that the introduction of specially constructed cognitive models into collective consciousness constitutes a common mechanism of propaganda and manipulation, regardless of historical era. The application of cognitive approaches to historical phenomena opens up prospects for developing methods to counter modern manipulative practices and foster critical perception of information.