-
Period: to
1648-1992
-
Peter The Great
Sir Godfrey Kneller "Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia," Queen's Gallery (1698) Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia from 1682-1725, embodied the absolutist era of hereditary power and birth right. The style of this portrait glorifies Peter and shows the mindset of "divine right" exercised by monarchs of the time. -
The French Revolution
Marquis de La Fayette, "Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen," France, (1789) The French Revolution addressed the grievances of the oppressed and forced a re-thinking of the absolutist regime. Embodying this ideological movement, The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen was published which stated that "all men are born and remain free and equal in rights." This document empowered its readers and inspired increased revolt, demands for change, and legislation. -
The Factory Act of 1833
John Charles Spencer, Michael Sadler, "The Factory Act of 1833," (1833) The British Industrial Revolution mobilized ideas and people at previously unimaginable speeds. As child labor was popularized, regulatory legislation followed suit with acts like the Factory Act of 1833 which entails "no child workers under nine years of age," and "two hours of schooling each day." Though sparsely enforced, acts like this one contributed to a growing awareness for workers' livelihoods. -
Publishing of the Futurist Manifesto
Luigi Russolo, "Dynamism of a Car," Musée nationale d'arte moderne, oil on canvas, (1913) Luigi Russolo was an experimental thinker and artist, emerging during the Italian Futurist movement. Futurism, inspired by the mechanization and efficiency of the industrial revolution, signified an abandon for the institutions and authorities of the past. The piece embodies the sense of urgency and need for violence that Futurism's founder, Fillipo Marinetti, demanded at the turn of the 20th century. -
Hitler Youth During the Holocaust
Ludwig Hohlwein, "The German Student," (1936) Used as a political tool to mobilize Hitler's extremist, propaganda indoctrinated children into believing in and spreading Nazism. The youth programs played a significant role in the mobilization of terror and racism during World War Two and showed how children could be used as powerful tools. The propaganda poster quickly and effectively spread the idea of a unified mindset, allowing Hitler's movement to infiltrate the ideas of thousands.