A Darwin Revelation: WWI and the Rise of Hollywood

Darwinian Capitalism: WWI and the Rise of Hollywood

Hollywood/the American cinema market achieved and maintained unprecedented power over its competitors since the commencement of World War One. Through observation of theories proposed by Social Darwinism—Darwinian Capitalism, to be more specific—Hollywood’s attainment of sustained power can be better understood. In layman’s terms, subjection to political, social, and economic circumstances brought on by WWI, the markets of Hollywood became the ‘fittest’ of all its competitors. (Dennis)
To fully understand the reasons behind the growth of Hollywood, the Social Darwinian theory behind Capitalism must be regarded. The concept, simply put, is the permission of events to occur with little or no government intervention. In regards to genetics, Charles Darwin’s theory, stated in his (1859) book, The Origin of Species suggests that living organisms evolve by means of ‘survival of the fittest’. Similarly, Darwinian Capitalism suggests that the more economically ‘fit’ a business is, the more likely it is to survive.(Appleman)
The impact World War I had on global economies provided America/Hollywood with the opportunity to become a world leader in film production. In the years preceding the war the United States was struggling to compete in the world markets of cinema. Countries such as France, Denmark, and Italy were constantly expanding the communicative possibilities of film style. With so many countries on the cutting edge of editing, lighting, acting, and stage design, no one country rose above the rest. As the war commenced however, economic budgets of nations across the world were tightened. Because of International increase of spending on war-time expenses, countries began to lose funding for marketing and producing cinema. Film production in Italy and France (two of the largest producers in film at the time) was significantly reduced. Apart from a lack of funding, another obstacle arose for film production with the onset of WWI. The ability of countries to export films across borders was limited because of laws set in place for national security during the war.(Thompson)
The limitation of film export brought on by WWI worked in Americas favor for two reasons. First and most importantly, our competitors were isolated from the films and ideas of other countries. As a result, the rate which the medium was being developed abroad was drastically decreased. America was now left with more time and money to spend on film production and sling-shot us ahead of the pack. Secondly, the isolation alleviated America’s international reliance and our producers became more self dependent. Conclusively, in Darwinian terms, Hollywood ‘survived’ best because it existed in the most economically ‘fit’ culture of the time.


The following video is a hour and a half long examination on the relevance of Darwinism to Capitalism. It gives in depth coverage on many of the subjects that I related to the rise of American cinema--politics, society, and economics. It also relates the works and theories of many other scientists and philosophers throughout history.






Works Cited

Appleman, Philip, ed. Darwin. 3rd ed. New York: W.W.Norton, 2001.

Dennis, Rutledge M. “Social Darwinism, Scientific Racism, and the Metaphysics of Race.”Journal of Negro Education. Summer 1995. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3626/is_199507/ai_n8730395

Thompson, Kristin, and David Bordwell. Film History : An Introduction. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2002.