Previously suppressed knowledge to control the masses

[jake jot]

I need in my story some examples of previous knowledges or technology that were once kept suppressed in order to control the masses. For example. Flour (to keep people dependent on fruits or vegetables or produce)? Electricity? concept of Pressure? What can you think of? In modern times, knowledges of nuclear weapons were kept suppressed to avoid global annihilation. But at least we understood concepts of it.

 

[Hornbein]

I need in my story some examples of previous knowledges or technology that were once kept suppressed in order to control the masses. For example. Flour (to keep people dependent on fruits or vegetables or produce)? Electricity? concept of Pressure? What can you think of? In modern times, knowledges of nuclear weapons were kept suppressed to avoid global annihilation. But at least we understood concepts of it.

Galileo discovered that Jupiter had moons. He was placed under house arrest.

 

[hutchphd]

As I recall US history, there were many places where teaching a "colored" person to read was illegal. Written language is a foundational technology.

 

[jake jot]

What else? Besides nuclear weapons?

Were there any medical doctors in the past who were burnt at the stakes? Or scientists?

 

[BillTre]

<Post edited by mentor to remove unsupported allegations that are not germane to this thread.>

Suppression of information should have some kind of benefit to the perpetrator to drive that action. I think would have to be a big effort (involving large numbers of people in society), to be successful.
Targetting a communicationally isolated fraction of a society would be easier.

• Money (as in proprietary)
• Political power
• Power over another person
• Entrenching a point of view (opposing paradigmatic change, like Copernicus)

Are the reasons I could quickly think of that would seem to be strong enough to generate the activity of large numbers of people to take action.