Political myth

A political myth is an ideological explanation for a political phenomenon that is believed by a social group.

In 1975, Henry Tudor defined it in the book Political Myth. He said myths are believed to be true -- though they may be false -- and are devices with dramatic constructions used "in order to come to grips with reality". Political myths simply deal with political topics, and always use a group of people as the hero or protagonist. In 2001, Christopher G. Flood described a working definition of a political myth as "an ideologically marked narrative which purports to give a true account of a set of past, present, or predicted political events and which is accepted as valid in its essentials by a social group".

Examples cited as political myths include Manifest destiny,The Clash of Civilizations, and national myths.

In 1973, T.L. Thorson wrote in the 4th edition of A History of Political Theory: "It is the mark of a modern mind to be able to explicitly create a 'myth' as a way of influencing others (as, for example, Plato does in The Republic). In it original sense myth is a literal description.