Characteristics of a Totalitarian Government Portrayed in the Film, Citizen Kane

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Citizen Kane, released in 1941, is one of America’s greatest films. The film is widely considered a cautionary tale for the late 1930’s and the early 1940’s. The main character, Charles Foster Kane is portrayed as a character that is similar to the totalitarian dictators that came about during this time period, such as Adolf Hitler. Totalitarian dictatorships have the goals of creating unity among the masses and obtaining control over individuals and society. There are three key characteristics of totalitarian governments that are portrayed in the film Citizen Kane. This form of government uses propaganda to sway the opinion of the mass population, they gain power with the unity, support, and trust of the masses, and they try to control every aspect of their political states. The character of Charles Foster Kane is portrays these different characteristics of totalitarian dictators, warning viewers of the possible political ways of the present and the future.

In the film Citizen Kane, Charles Foster Kane was the head of the Inquirer newspaper empire. As Mr. Kane grew more powerful in his life, he began to use his newspapers as a written propaganda machine. This went against his initial principles of leading a newspaper that reports the news both truthfully and honestly. One example of Kane using the newspaper to sway the ideas and opinions of the readers of the Inquirer is in relation to Susie Alexander and her opera. Susie’s opera received poor reviews by the different newspapers, including the Inquirer, but Kane demanded that she continue to sing. He published many newspapers that gave the impression that the opera was one of the best, even though he himself knew it was not true. His titles and articles made people...

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...table. The only thing that could come from the complete control by a certain power is destruction, which is seen in World War II.

In conclusion, the film Citizen Kane is a cautionary tale for the late 1930’s and the early 1940’s. It shows different elements of a totalitarian government and characteristics of a totalitarian dictator. The elements that are seen in the movie that warn the citizens of the political movements of the time period are the uses of propaganda, the gathering of the masses, and the absolute control over all aspects in a country. Each of these characteristics are seen throughout the film Citizen Kane and through the character of Charles Foster Kane, all portray a totalitarian government. The film’s portrayal of the characteristics of a totalitarian government shows that the only end to the ways of this form of government is destruction.

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