The Challenge to Tradition 1880-1918“the Age of Anxiety”The destruction and trauma caused by Western society to question and even abandon cherished values and beliefs held since the 18th century enlightenment, 19th century industrialism, scientific advances and evolutionary thought. However, the seeds of this discontent with tradition were sown during the latter half of the 18th century.

Prior to 1914 belief in PROGRESS was illustrated by a higher standard of living, urbanization and the rise in mass education

Belief in REASON was based on an ordered, logical Newtonian universe

Belief in INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS was illustrated by increased social rights: women’s suffrage, old age pensions, worker recognition

INTELLECTUAL MOVEMENT (Philosophy and Psychology)

This attacked optimism by rejecting faith in progress and the power of reason.

Nietzsche: rejected western civilization and rationalism. He believed that civilization was a human invention, language a human construct. He glorified individualism inspired writers, artists and musicians.

Freud: Rejected traditional rational thought and viewed social institutions as repressive. He founded psychoanalysis: once roots of neurotic behaviour are uncovered, the patient will be free. Methods: free association, interpretation of dreams.

Jung: Theory of Universal, collective unconscious: could be unravelled by archetypes – influenced Modernist artists and writers.

POLITICAL THOUGHTBy 1900 nationalism had a firm grip on the European mind and played a significant role in internal and external policies

Eastern versus Western Nationalism:

3 Eastern Empires: Russian, Austrian and Ottoman – various national groups under imperial governments, therefore nationalism was discouraged and suppressed. (Fuel for WWI)

Western nationalism was a unifying force: Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the USA established collective goals and policies – governments looked outward.

Imperialism: Old versus New

17 – 18 century imperialism to acquire resources, markets and territory to fuel first Industrial Revolution.

19th century imperialism to exploit native population – shift to wage earners; establish permanent governing presence (viceroy), build infrastructure to preserve and fuel second Industrial Revolution; colonies of strategic importance.

SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGEMarie Curie: isolated radium and developed radiochemistry: boosted optimism

Max Planck: Quantum Theory: mathematical formula for released energy in quantifiable bursts; this challenged traditional wave theory physics dating back to Newton.

Neils Bohr: the theory of atomic structure in 1912. His theory led to the development of nuclear energy for weaponry and electricity.

Einstein: Rejected Newtonian physics and other scientific developments. Theory focussed on time/space relationship.

Newton: absolute rest, absolute velocity, absolute space, absolute time.

Einstein: only speed of light is absolute in universe because it is the same for all observers; all motion is relative and there4fore not absolute = theory of relativity (E=Mc2) i.e. if two different systems move with relatively uniform motion toward each other, there exists two different spaces and two different times.

Newton is replaced by light beams that determine meaning of space in each situation.

ARTISTIC CHALLENGELiterature:Three predominant genres of early Modernism. All three rejected middle-class life and values.

Naturalism: inspired by science and sociology to focus on social issues such as worker unrest and women’s rights: Emile Zola, Henrik Ibsen, Chekhov, Dickens

Decadent: rejected material values, scorned science and rejected bourgeois society. e.g. Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust

Expressionist: New methods and forms had to be developed as art had been robbed of its meaning by bourgeois values. E.g. Franz Kafka

Realism in Literature: 19th century reflected scientific approach of accurate observation and analysis of society.

Dickens and Hardy recorded the decline of agrarian society and the growth of urban industrial state

Focused on the lives of ordinary people

Increased working class literacy led to publication of penny pamphlets (chapbooks) – serialized novels in magazines and newspapers.

Because authors were paid by installment, books thick and detailed, a great window on society.

Modern Revolution in Art:Impressionism – break with realist tradition dominant since 1400s

Focus on light as major player-abandoned studio/train travel/paint chemistry, on everyday beauty. E.g. Monet, Manet, Renoir

Fascination with continuous change in the appearance of things – new hero is LIGHT, no longer man

Artists mixed colours on canvas rather than on palette so viewer’s eye does the mixing (active)

Preferred everyday life rather than dramatic subjects of romantics Still life, dancing girls, nudes, picnics, cafes Discarded romantic elements of painting – strove to capture spontaneous moments of the

artists’ personal impressions Criticized as unorthodox and unrealistic

Expressionism in Germany – inner discovery of the soul rather than impressions of the outside world.

Inner experience is the only reality Irrational reigned supreme (Freudian influence) Greatest goal of the artist is self-expression at the deepest level of awareness

(Minimalists: Kandinsky, Surrealists: Dali)

Post-Impressionism – Gaugin, Van Gogh, Cezanne

Music: From Impressionism to Jazz Art influence music: Debussy celebrate the realm of the unconscious yet retained some

romantic elements – strange, macabre, fantastic

German tradition (Bach, Beethoven, Wagner) replaced by French, Russian and Bohemian schools of music (Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Mahler; led by World War I, Germany and Austria artistically cut off from the rest of the Europe.

Early 20th century music was a reaction against romanticism

Away from subjective and grandiose, passion, loveliness, fate and beauty of tone

Impressionist composers explored sound for its own sake; all sound was fragmentary; no dramatic build up and release as was traditional (Debussy, Ravel)

Expressionist composers discovered atonality (no major or minor keys) which had no recognizable frame of reference for the listener (Stravinsky)

Jazz - rooted in African-American tradition emerged in USA; improvisatory call/response of African songs with gospel of 1850s

Two other influences were Ragtime (instrumental – Scott Joplin) 1890 – 920 syncopated rhythms and Blues (vocal) inspired by work songs and spirituals to evoke pain of life, love, poverty and work

Conclusion: Comfortable traditions gave way to uncertainty and skepticism

Role of government and validity of class system questioned

Imperialism diverted public attention away from internal problems

International tensions increased (militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism)

19th century Europe was doomed and ultimately destroyed by World War I.