Summary - The dystopian literature of the period reflected the many concerns that resonated throughout the twentieth century.
- The concept of a dystopia was introduced to help reveal the potential consequences of a utopia turning against itself.
- Religious
- Communistic
- Agricultural
- War is Peace
- Freedom is Slavery
- Ignorance is Strength
Religious Utopias - Freedom of religion attracted European groups to America who were persecuted in their own countries.
- Some colonists hoped to form Utopian societies, self-containing religious communities, removed from the perceived “vices” found in overcrowded cities.
- In these utopian societies, all aspects of people's lives were governed by their faith.
Religious Utopias - Example: the Shakers – a religious group who fled to the United States in 1774 to escape persecution. They formed a tight knit community, which required celibacy (no sexual relations) and the separation of men and women in daily life.
- Their religious expression included productive labor, peace, the equality of the sexes, and a ritual noted for its dancing and shaking.
Communistic Utopias - The Soviet Union represented the creation of a political utopia on a larger scale than had ever been attempted before.
- Communism was seen as the creation of a working society in which all give according to their means and take according to their needs. This aspect promised the future freedom of all people in a world free of oppression and inequality.
Communistic Utopias - By the end of the 1920s, the disadvantages of Communism in the Soviet Union were evident.
- Joseph Stalin forced peasants to work on the land, forced intellectuals into prison camps, burned books, and contributed to the death of millions.
- He used mass media to create a godlike image of himself, and any opponents were executed or deported.
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