ABSTRACT
In capitalist democracies, the control of state institutions by economic interest groups is often considered dangerous because of the development of bureaucratic interests and structures within the realm of the state. The media are easily controlled by the state, particularly where no genuine competition exists at all-in broadcasting. Although the former regimes considered the intelligentsia the main potential enemies and were continually trying to suppress their opposition, these regimes did not succeed in subordinating universities, cultural institutions, or even the media to a total state or party control. Nationalization of the media in the sense of both increased state intervention/control and nationalistic editorial policies warrants particular attention. The struggle for national cultural control and power represents an important aspect of power maximization (state) policy on peripheries, particularly in relation to the mass media, although it is not limited to peripheries only.
