European Society in the Twentieth Century - Assignment Example

Nietzsche, a German scholar, and cultural critic argued that civilization and its consequences are the prices people have to pay to control the ego and its wants. Natural rights were undermined as European countries colonized African states. Colonizers subjected colonial natives to unfair manipulation and oppression. The perception held by the social class at this time was described as materialistic. The opinion advocated for the accumulation and maintenance of wealth at the expense of other people. Artists from various fields took to different methods of expressing their feelings. Modern movement artists such as Strindberg expressed sexuality family and class conflict in an effort to point out the state of society.
            Spengler compared culture to an organism, in a context, that culture is something that is, grows, and then dies. Spengler viewed culture as a development born out of creativity. He defined civilization as the result of culture. As in, the product after a culture has been created. According to Spengler civilization, is a tangible culture. Civilization is a culture that has been transformed to be a physical one. The Faustian or western culture was born in Western Europe during the 10th century. Western culture became a civilization in the 20th century when it was present in most parts of the world. Religion helps a culture seek identification and exhibits the different stages in the development of a culture.
Weekly Question 11
            Totalitarian states are governments whose primary objective is to control the people it governs entirely. Totalitarianism requires people to comply with the government’s policies without any opposition. Totalitarian states are termed dictatorships. The following are the authoritarian policies of Adolf Hitler in Germany.
Adolf Hitler abolished the previous orders and installed a new regime with new and energetic systems.
· Hitler devolved his party into smaller units scattered all over the country. He led with charisma and devotion to convince people that he only had good intentions. Before acquiring national power, the party’s authority was delegated to local militant groups.
· Hitler gained executive power by constantly shuffling and keeping his staff in conflict so that they could only depend on him as the only real leader.
· Total control over media and other mass communication channels. Hitler dictated what information people received to manipulate easily and confuse them.
· Hitler advocated for racial and religious discrimination.
· Hitler regularly engaged Germany’s whole population through war to avoid going back to previous policies and maintain the country’s status quo.
De Beauvoir describes a woman as not essential, incapable, and wrecked. Simon de Beauvoir terms a woman as “the other” since men view women as the other in everything. Men see women as incapable; that is why they come first, and the “other” comes after according to de Beauvoir. The conditions of women Jews and Blacks are the same because they are all discriminated against. These conditions differ because women are because of gender; blacks are discriminated against because of color while Jews are discriminated against because of their religion.