Shot 40 / 5:18–5:39Select a shot, or shift-click to select multipleSelect a shot, or double-tap to select multiple

Despotism

19469 min 57 sec58 shots

This 1946 educational film asks viewers to place their community on a scale between democracy and despotism rather than judging it by its official form of government. A lecturer, staged scenes, political images, and graphic gauges define two main measures: how widely respect is extended and how broadly decision-making power is shared. Respect includes equal courtesy and opportunities regardless of political views, wealth, race, or religion, while shared power requires free voting, effective legislatures, safe opposition, and the consent of the governed.

Two additional scales examine conditions that may help despotism develop. The film links concentrated ownership of land, jobs, and businesses, shrinking middle-income groups, and taxes that burden people with low incomes to an increased risk of concentrated power. Classroom scenes and newspaper-office episodes show how discouraged questioning, government censorship, and pressure from private interests can restrict information and teach people to accept statements uncritically. The closing message asks citizens to assess their own communities because local patterns of respect, power, wealth, and information can shape the direction of the nation.

Provenance and rights

Original producer: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films
Collection: Prelinger Archives
Original title: Despotism
Date: 1946
Original link: Open on Internet Archive
Rights: public_domain