Understanding the Zeitgeist of the 20th century: From Modern Times to the era of Dictatorship

Thinking Activity

Understanding Zeitgeist of the 20th Century: From Modern Times to the era of Great Dictators

         This blog is prepared as a part of a thinking activity assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir, Department of English, MKBU to understand the Zeitgeist of the 20th Century: From Modern Times to the Era of Great Dictators. In this blog I am going to discuss major characteristics of the 20ty century and its emergence in the two most famous films of Charlie Chaplin, 'Modern Times' and 'The Great Dictator'.

★20th century socio-economic-political condition:

The twentieth century marks the end of the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) and beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1952-2022). Between 1902 and 1951 so many things had taken place, especially two world wars. The great euphoria for fighting for the nation was in the mind of people, but this euphoria became slow during the second war because of disastrous consequences of the first world war.

          In the first 50 years of the 20th century man was growing mastery of the physical world and its material resources.There was tremendous speed, progress and regress, sometimes forward and sometimes backward in every aspect of life. Emergence of science and technology gave great progress to various inventions like the internal combustion engine which made possible the invention of aeroplanes and other means of mass slaughter into world wars, nuclear power, motorcycle and car. Nuclear power has brought the threat of universal destruction by means of nation's saving. 

       Another major aspect of the 20th century is there was Hitler youth, who were on tutor or easily susceptible to emotional conditioning. Students were being used as active political partitions but in Britain the first duty of students was to study not to agitate- agitation being. The untutored political demonstration of youth is likely to lead either to wise reforms or to effective revolutions. But unfortunately it produced mob rule. 

              The values of Victorians were being cherished as it was now believed as superficial stupid and hypocritical. So the fluctuation of values started because now the ideas of the victorians were believed baseless. What victorians believed beautiful thought was now being considered hideous. The standard of artistic craftsmanship and of aesthetic appreciation begin to change fundamentally. 

                 The voice of authority in religion, politics and literature, which believed in a redness to accept phrases at face value without critical examination was prevailing in Victorian society. There was a firm belief in the permanents of 19th century institutions both temporal and spiritual. Among early 20th century writers the Victorian idea of the permanence of institution was displaced by the sense of universal mutability. H. G. Well's concept of 'Meanwhile' which says 'home as mere campsite' and G. B. Shows concept of three watch words 'Question! Examine! Test!' were at the centre. Both these writers have presented the same idea in their works. This was a generation of interrogative habits and minds who question everything before believing in it. 

        The revolt from victorianism was from a sense of stability, striving for orders, consciousness of dignity to the spiritual vacuum. The interrogative habit of mind was responsible for the spiritual vacuum leads the society towards anti victorianism. After two World wars people moved towards the philosophy of existentialism. Two groups were there in this century.

1. Bloomsbury Group:- the members of this group were from Elite or high class society. They were free thinkers of intellectual discussion, conflict between modern and ancient, vices and virtues and they were breaking traditions of victorians against family values. This group was taking 'art for the sake of art'. 

2. Fabian Society:- this group majorly concerns common people. They were trying to bring awareness about social and industrial culture. The idea of a welfare state also emerged which gave a policy of government for the welfare of people. Rightful concerns for under privileged people were at the centre.

               The 20th century is known as the century of the common man because of democracy. Whereas dictatorial intellectualism was also prominent.

                  The growth of mass production methods in industry led to deep concerns among sociologists because of a threat of death to craftsmanship and a lifetime of work on assembly line processes was destructive of interest in the object produced. 

       We can say that 20th century socio-economic-political condition is exactly opposite to the Victorian era and its values. So many inventions have taken place but at the same time the great fear is also there.

Frame study:-

           A frame is one of the many still images which compose the complete moving picture. The term is derived from the historical development of fm stoke in which the sequentially recorded single images look like a frame picture when examined individually.The term may also be used more generally as a noun or verb to refer to the edges of the image as seen in a camera viewfinder or projected on a screen. Thus, the camera operator can be said to keep a car in frame by panning with it as it speeds past.(Wikipedia)

         In the frame study of two movies 'The Great Dictator' and 'Modern Time', I will try to analyse frames from both these movies in the following perspectives.

• Industrialisation
• Rich-poor divide
• Materialistic richness
• Dictatorship
• Mechanism
• Death of craftsmanship
• Capitalism
• Starving for basic need - food, clothing, shelter and clothing
• Egoistic leadership
• Ghettoization
• Rhetorical speeches

Click here to read frame study of 'Modern Times'

Click here to read frame study of 'The Great Dictator'

               To sum up, the socio-economic-political Zeitgeist of the 20th Century is accurately presented by these two movies by the great observer Charlie Chaplin.

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