Zeitgeist in America: An Analysis of Societal Spirit in the United States

This research focuses on the concept of zeitgeist — the particular spirit of an era — and how it has changed and evolved in the modern American eras. This involved extensive research to compile simple yet complete understandings of the past century of American history, and identifying the changes that have occurred in United States society. Society is generally observed through five main categories: politics, economics, social and cultural trends, and
religion. Each of these played significant roles in shaping the Zeitgeist, some more than others depending on its importance to the people of that time. Information for this study was taken from a variety of sources. This includes open sources from the Internet, novels from authors associated with specific time periods, artists and their creations, research reports from organizations focused on population trends, and quotes from speeches or discussions. The goal of this is to show how the Zeitgeist of an era is best recognized when it has passed, rather than during its time. The people are too caught up in what surrounds them to identify that for themselves. It is up to today’s generation to analyze the Zeitgeists of previous time periods, and be able to recognize trends from those eras in today’s society. It is important for society to start learning to embrace the Zeitgeist of now in order to create a greater future.

Throughout the past century, America has undergone vast developments in every aspect of society. Though many changes are identified, and the causes of those changes as well, it has not yet been well explained what it is that drives such change. Many would reply that people drive that change, but what drove them? What compelled so great a transformation to be encouraged by droves of people? It was indeed the energy itself of that reformation, the milieu surrounding the people as a whole. The word to describe this concept is Zeitgeist, meaning the spirit of the time. But what is important about Zeitgeist? What is known about it? How has it transformed through history? As this discussion sifts through some of the most tumultuous times in America, observe how the Zeitgeist has driven a nation, and learn why it is important to understand the history of the Zeitgeist.

Before delving into the spiritual makeup of an era, it is important to truly understand what zeitgeist is. Zeitgeist is a word stemming from the root German words “zeit” and “geist,” meaning time and spirit respectively (Zeitgeists). This word thus encapsulates the idea of spiritual atmosphere, and an incorporeal feeling that shifts and flows through society. Looking back on history, it is rather simple to identify the overall psyche of distinct time periods, the important figures with opinions of the zeitgeist’s ideals, and where that spirit led to shortcomings or successes. As will be seen later on, authors, musicians, artists, and other such persons will provide the most effective path towards understanding zeitgeists of particular eras. Perhaps the most essential piece to understand about zeitgeist is
its effect on an individual. People are products of the continuum of zeitgeists that ebb and flow across time and spirit. In the same way that parents instill values on their children, Zeitgeist promotes its ideals onto societies and individuals. This makes it far more difficult
to comprehend the zeitgeist of the present, rather than those of the past. Being in the zeitgeist inhibits the ability to clearly understand how its manifestations will affect the future.

The 1920s was a time known by many names: the Jazz Age, the Age of Intolerance, and perhaps most famous, the Roaring Twenties. People living in this time period later became known as the Lost Generation, a name popularized by American modernist writer Gertrude Stein (Time Periods). The name was accredited due to their disillusionment with the world, and their disinclination to move into a more settled way of life. The numerous labels given to this time period stand as a testament of the chaotic spirit of the era. The end of the Great War created a time where the only thing Americans wanted to do was experience anything and everything. This lead to a rush into materialism and frivolousness. Spending skyrocketed, products were mass produced and sold cheap, and credit purchases were constant (Robinson). The latter consumer practice would eventually lead in to the economic collapse of the nation. But until then, Americans were too caught up in the Geist to pay any attention to the consequences of their actions. In addition to economic changes, America was undergoing countless social and cultural developments. Women worked outside the home, were given the right to vote, dressed less conservative, and were generally seen in a different light than before. In the Harlem Renaissance scene, music evolved into jazz, a form of music best identified by its use of improvisation, powerful rhythm, and the wide variety of dances that came with it (Lindsay). Art Deco was the overarching art form of the decade, with expressionism and surrealism close behind. It was best characterized by its use of vibrant color, dominant geometric shapes, and grand embellishment.

From this time of vivacity emerged figures who are now regarded with significance, due to their contributions during the 1920s. One such man was Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, an author best known now for his novel The Great Gatsby. Now a popular required reading
book in high school, the story provides numerous insights on a variety of societal themes that concerned Fitzgerald. Looking through the haze of the Zeitgeist surrounding him, Fitzgerald criticized the corruption and shallowness of America and its people. According to
Fitzgerald, the American Dream — a prevalent theme criticized in The Great Gatsby — had long since died. The concept that any person could achieve success and prosperity by hard work and determination had been replaced by the acquisitiveness and short-term satisfactions of society. Gatsby, the tragic character of the story, is unable to grasp this
concept as he holds on to a hope that had long since passed him by. Fitzgerald described this dying dream in his final words of the novel:

Gatsby believed in… the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back
ceaselessly into the past. (Fitzgerald 180–182)

Fitzgerald’s words perfectly encapsulate the melancholy that comes with endlessly reaching for dreams and never attaining them. And so it was in the zeitgeist of the Roaring Twenties: a generation lost in their own endeavors, leading to a future uncertain and unstable.

In the most abrupt zeitgeist change in modern history, the Twenties spirit was driven headlong into a harsh reality. October 29, 1929 marked America’s industrial descent into the Great Depression. The day of the American stock market crash — now referred to as “Black Tuesday”- initiated unemployment rates of twenty-five percent, leaving families broke and homeless. Those who found work or were lucky enough to keep their jobs had to start their savings from scratch. In this time of crisis, Americans looked towards the government to provide them with support. The president at that time, Herbert Hoover, made attempts to help in the nation’s recovery. He believed the answer lied within the people instead of the government. However, his firm belief in “self-determinism” was not the answer Americans were looking for. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected, and
promised Americans a “New Deal.” The government took on a whole new role in developing work programs for the unemployed, and providing general relief to those in need. This marked the beginning of a political shift that would ripple into the future, and change many Americans’ ideas of government and its role in society. But as it is with
Zeitgeist, those effects would not be recognized until decades later.

By the arrival of the 1940s, the American Zeitgeist was on a much desired upward trend. Though life wasn’t as energetic as it was, a now humbled people lived life in a reasonable and more informed method. This pragmatic lifestyle, however, came with the side effects (for better or for worse) of a society that was far more aware of the world both
near and far. The all too familiar shadow of war loomed over the American people once more, as conflicts in the Western hemisphere escalated. When war came to them in the form of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the cry for war rang loudly. Production and the need
to fight drove American’s towards a purpose that would carry the nation out of its rut. Industry boomed during this time, and by the end of the war, the distribution of wealth in America settled to a far more balanced state. Economics aside, the post war social changes
created and would continue to form a much more diverse spirit in the United States. By the 1950s, paradoxical views of American society were being communicated across the media, especially with the phenomenon of mass culture. For instance, the beginning of civil rights movements and the fight against the spread of communism showed the growing divisions in American society. With no set task ahead of it, America was waiting to find out what the next big steps were in store. This responsibility would not only affect the American people, but the world. This is best described in the words of Winston Churchill:

…the United States stand at this moment at the summit of the world… Let them act up to the level of their power and their responsibility, not for themselves but for others, for all men in all lands, and then a brighter day may dawn upon human history…We must remold the relationships of all men…in such a way that these men do not wish or dare to fall upon each other for the sake of vulgar and outdated ambitions or for passionate differences in ideology, and that international bodies of supreme authority may give peace on earth and decree justice among men. Our pilgrimage has brought us to a sublime moment in the history of the world. From the least to the greatest, all must strive to be worthy of these supreme opportunities.
There is not an hour to be wasted; there is not a day to be lost. (Churchill)

With a zeitgeist beginning to form out of the ashes of an older era, the future of America took aim and rocketed into an age of reform.

The next forty years of the United States would result in the largest and fastest growing conglomerate of change in any society. Generation X, the people born after the Baby Boomers, were the ones responsible for this change. For a general idea of the difficulties in analyzing this period’s zeitgeist, author Paul Taylor wrote in a research report,

Generation X has a gripe with pulse takers, zeitgeist keepers and population counters. We keep squeezing them out of the frame. This overlooked generation [is] often missing from stories about demographic, social and political change. They’re smack in the middle innings of life, which tend to be short on drama and scant of theme.
Gen Xers are bookended by two much larger generations — the Baby Boomers ahead and the Millennials behind — that are strikingly different from one another. And in most of the ways we take stock of generations — their racial and ethnic makeup; their political, social and religious values; their economic and educational circumstances; their technology usage — Gen Xers are a low-slung, straight-line
bridge between two noisy behemoths. (Taylor)

As can be seen in the description of the era’s people, there are simply too many aspects of reformation in American society to cover in depth. The best way to approach this zeitgeist is to be brief and specific. Keep in mind that all of the items about to be addressed were results of the Zeitgeist of Change, an original term that shall encapsulate the discussion of this era.

Working in the order prescribed by Taylor, bit by bit the Zeitgeist of Change can be pieced together. The issue of race had always been in American society, but the 1960s Civil Rights movement ultimately brought about the reformation being sought. Bringing full rights to African Americans set the precedent for all minority groups to be treated as equals, and allowed the nation to move in a more racially open direction. In the world of politics, controversial issues poured into informants’ laps and exploded into the public realm. The Korean and Vietnam War, the Cold War, Watergate, the Iran-Contra Affair, and the Monica Lewinsky affair are all prime examples of political scandals that left seeds of distrust planted in the American mind permanently. People would no longer view the government in as positive of a light as before. In the social and cultural elements of life, everything pushed as far left as hard as it could. People were tired of living by the ideals of an older generation, and fought for many reformations. This ranged from changes in the pop culture fads of music, dance, art, and fashion, all the way through the ideals of sexuality, drug use, law, and any other area of controversy. No decade was the same in this turbulent time, each differing vastly from the other as changes would come and go. Religion became decreasingly prevalent as each decade passed. The economy constantly grew, but the performance was inconsistent, leaving Americans unsure about their livelihoods. Technology, one of the strongest forces behind the Zeitgeist, drove onward and upward, but created issues for America and other countries. For a time, the Space Race between America and the U.S.S.R. led to a massive influx in technology production. This included progress in space travel, communication abilities, weapons development, and other major scientific breakthroughs. Though this proved to be beneficial as a whole to the consumer market and defense of the U.S., the delicate balance of brinkmanship with nations of differing political ideologies left a permanent scar of uneasiness on this Zeitgeist. The effects of this era’s time are seen today in today’s spirit. In the way politics are run, the technology used in daily life, and the common citizen’s view on what it means to be human. Quite simply,

The people who invented the twenty-first century…saw differently. The hierarchal systems… did not encourage this different type of thinking. [This] produced an anarchic mindset that is great for imagining a world not yet in existence. (Issacson)

As seen through the observations of history, all people are framed by the Zeitgeist. The true question of the matter is whether or not society will be able to one day transcend it. Can it be seen, and can a nation steer itself on a path towards potential and construction? For now, the answer remains hidden, as it is with all Zeitgeists that have preceded. Just as it is hard to understand one’s self entirely, it is near impossible to grasp the spirit of the time when a part of it. When reflecting on the past, many wish to have known the consequences of actions not thought through. To have had the knowledge of now then. Can this practice of hindsight be applied to the future? Is foresight possible when using the trove of knowledge stored in the history of Zeitgeist? If society learns and listens to the wisdom found in the Zeitgeist, it
can become possible to predict the Zeitgeist of the future. It is the responsibility of today’s generation to shape that future as best as it can. While the plot of the future may change, let the theme echo true through the ages.

We shall not cease from exploration/And the end of all our exploring/Will be to arrive where we started/And know the place for the first time/Through the unknown, unremembered gate/When the last of earth left to discover/Is that which was the beginning;/At the source of the longest river/The voice of the hidden waterfall/And
the children in the apple-tree/Not known, because not looked for/But heard, halfheard, in the stillness. (T.S. Eliot, Little Gidding)

Remember that while Zeitgeists of the past have indeed shaped this generation, they do not define what this generation is or what it will become. In the words of Tennyson,

Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and though/We are not now that strength which in old days/Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;/One equal temper of heroic hearts,/Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will/To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. (Tennyson, Ulysses)