Background and
Historical References
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In Europe and America, the Post-World War I
world was vastly different from that which
had begun the century.
The “modern” world, as it would come to be
known, was defined by speed, science,
technological advances, and radically new
ideas of government and culture.
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World War I saw the last great empires of
Russia, Austria, and Britain fall to pieces.
In countries that had suffered defeat,
resentment grew over what they considered
to be harsh, unfair treaty agreements
The 1920’s and 30’s saw the rise of new
totalitarian leaders: Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler
Karl Marx wrote: “A spectre is haunting Europe,
the spectre of communism,” implying that the
old system of wealthy owners and poor workers
would soon fail.
 He wrote the Comminist Manifesto in 1848 and
foresaw a revolution by workers in which they
would take control of factories during the
Industrial Revolution
 In pure communism, all people control the
means of production without any supervision by
a “ruling class”
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In 1919, Einstein’s General Theory of
Relativity was confirmed; nothing was certain
except uncertainty
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution (developed in
the mid-nineteenth century) gave rise to the
“logical” belief that the development of
super-humans was possible through genetic
selection (this was evident in Hitler’s practice
in Germany)
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Henry Ford is best known for introducing the
assembly line to the manufacture of
automobiles
His system allowed several identical cars to be
built at the same time in different stages
In May of 1916, Ford said, “History is more or
less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want
tradition. We want to live in the present, and the
only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the
history we make today.” This idea can be seen in
the attitudes of Huxley’s society
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Although Freud published his most famous
works at the turn of the 20th century, it wasn’t
until after WWI that he received great
recognition.
Some of the biggest reasons for his fame
were the after-effects of WWI, particularly
the new concept of trench warfare
Typical treatments for mental disorders at
the time included drugs and electro-shock
therapy
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The radio exploded in popularity in the 1920’s
and 30’s
It presented a unique way for millions of people
to receive information simultaneously
Many leaders were quick to make use of this new
technology (FDR’s fireside chats)
It also became a means of pouring out party-line
propaganda to millions of people, as was done
by Hitler and Mussolini
Companies also used it to advertise products
Ivan Pavlov elaborated on the idea of conditioning—
the training of an individual to respond to a certain
stimulus in a certain way through positive or negative
reinforcement
 His most famous demonstration of conditioning was
his training of dogs to salivate at the ringing of a bell
 John Watson—father of the School of Behaviorism.
His famous statement was that he could take any 12
healthy babies, regardless of family background and
make them into any type of person (rich, poor,
intelligent). Reinforces “nurture over nature” idea.
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English economist and writer, his Principle of
Population argued that, unless controlled, the
population of the world would exceed the
necessary supplies for survival.
He believed that natural causes were the only
way to avoid population catastrophe
He was against contraception and believed
that late marriage was the only way to keep
population in check
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Huxley’s choice of names reflects historical,
political, social and economical ideas that have
helped to shape the fictional World State
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Bernard Marx—named after Claude Bernard, a
French psychologist, and Karl Marx
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Mustapha Mond—named after Mustapha Kemal
Ataturk, a Turkish military figure, and Sir Alfred
Mond, an advocate of labor reforms such as
health care and profit sharing
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Henry Foster—named after Henry Ford and
William Foster, a popular trade union leader
who ran for president in 1924, 28 and 32 but
was unsuccessful
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Helmholtz Watson—named after Hermann
von Helmholtz, and 19th century scientist, and
John B Watson, founder of school of
behaviorism
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Lenina Crowne—named after Vladimir Lenin;
crowne is most likely symbolic of a monarch
in general
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Benito Hoover—named after fascist leader
Benito Mussolini and former US president
Herbert Hoover
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Technology
Totalitarianism
Individualism
Consumerism
Happiness and the Human Condition
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Ford
“T” sign
Shakespeare
Sex and Drugs