The role of ideology in mass media practices is explored in an analysis of the relation between the Paris Commune of 1871 and the Shanghai Commune of 1967, two attempts to translate the philosophical concept of dictatorship of the proletariat into some political form. A review of the use of Paris Commune imagery by the Chinese to mobilize the population for political development highlights the critical role of ideology in understanding the operation of the mass media and the difficulties the Chinese have in continuing their revolution in the political and bureaucratic superstructure. (Author/AA)