Us Portrayals of Fascism

Charlie Chaplin and "The Great Dictator"

Although America has seemingly embraced a relatively unified ideology in contemporary society, the country was not always settled on the democratic form to the extent that it is today. Before the effects of the Cold War manifested in the United States, there were many different political ideologies that were promoted among large segments of the population and at one time it was not uncommon for a U.S. citizen to identify with alternative political parties from both the far left and the far right, such as the Communist Party and various forms of Authoritarian ideas. At the time, the country was not only segregated by racial and religious affiliation (among other divisions), but there were also many different political groups that were vastly more polarized than the high levels of polarization in the political system that are present today.

It is difficult to imagine such a diversity of thought today because the rise of Communism in the U.S. has mostly died out of the collective consciousness and most are not old enough to recall such a distant memory. However, there was a time in which the Communist party had a foothold in society and was commonly portrayed in various forms of media. Furthermore, some of the mass media portrayals of Communism were dismissive and negative, which significantly helped to build a culture that was resistant to such ideas. This analysis will introduce three such portrayals that represent a novel, a personal story, and one of the first movies with sound that was written and produced by Charlie Chaplin and discuss how these work contributed to the popular culture that we know today.

The Great Dictator

The Great Dictator was a film that aired in 1940 in the U.S. that was written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, who also starred in the film and played multiple characters. The film is a parody of some pretty substantial developments of the world's most central themes. Chaplin's film directly targeted the authoritarian regimes that sprung up in Europe and included the oppression of many minority groups; especially the Jewish people. Although Chaplin leveraged his ability to create comedic content to address real world developments, it is apparent that he felt that he may have crossed some lines by using such devices. However, at the time he was unaware of the full extent of the horrific atrocities that were occurring by the groups he was mocking. For instance, he wrote in his autobiography that he regretted making:

"The Great Dictator:" "Had I known of the actual horrors of the German concentration camps, I could not have made The Great Dictator; I could not have made fun of the homicidal insanity of the Nazis."

However, the film was released and became popular in much of the Western world and was even nominated for an array of different awards. The film was in response to a piece of German propaganda that was shown in New York in which Chaplin viewed. Although some felt the film was powerful, Chaplin was able to see through the film's slant and motivated him to respond to some of the injustices that the film was dismissive of. Furthermore, the film provided an image of Adolf Hitler that was studied by Chaplin and used to mimic the German leader's actual mannerisms in the parody. Chaplin, who was known for his silent films, used this opportunity to make his first film that included sound which became an instant international success.

My personal favorite scene in the film is the scene in which the Hitler parody is dancing with a balloon type ball that is in the image of a globe of the Earth. In the leader's private office at a moment in which he is alone, the character leisurely dances around bouncing the ball in the air. Chaplin is shown head butting the globe back into the air and catches it softly before repeating the act. He then lays on the desk in the office, on his stomach, and uses his butt to bounce the ball (globe) back into the air. The character seems in complete control of the ball and is able to maneuver it in whichever fashion he wishes, undoubtedly a metaphor for Hitler's control of large parts of the population at the time. However, at the end of this scene, the globe pops in the character's hands, which successfully foreshadows the end of the dictators control over the population and the end of his reign.