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About this quote

What does it mean?
Zhukov suggests that public approval would turn to anger if people knew the true cost of the actions praised.
In plain terms
People would be angry if they knew the innocent blood spilled.
What can you take from it?
Public support often depends on hidden costs of actions.

Where it applies

  • political analysis
  • war ethics
  • public relations

Putting it to work

  • assessing public support
  • evaluating leadership actions

Questions to consider

  • What changes public opinion?
  • How is war cost hidden?

Another view

Some leaders manage information so the public never learns the truth.

More from Georgy Zhukov

  1. Winning depended to a large extent on the determination of the troops and the officers. The certainty that we were going to win kept up everyone's spirits, fro…

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  2. Here they found real war, but they were not ready for it. They were used to easy victories. This deprived them of flexibility on the one hand, of tenacity on t…

    Permalink to quote #16
  3. The longer the battle lasts the more force we'll have to use!

    Permalink to quote #13

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