War of the Worlds: Spielberg's post 9/11 Cinema

War of the Worlds was originally a novel written by H.G. Wells in 1898. It was set in Victorian London which reflects the authors own experience. During this time the British Empire was the most dominant colonial power on Earth. If anyone were to attack the Empire, London would be the starting point for an 'alien' invasion. This was interpreted as an allegory for British Imperialism and has been used several times as an allegory for other major social and cultural events. Many people feared that that immigration would dramatically increase due to the Empires size. While others feared the turn of the century, known as the 'end of an era' many believed the apocalypse would begin on the last day of 1898. Given their fears and emotions, people were scare of the unknown (The end of the world, 'alien' cultures migrating to Britain). People were paranoid of cultural destruction, immigrants and 'the End of the World'. People were scared 'others', they felt threatened by the influx of foreign nationals. People saw immigrants as a threat to British culture and cultural ideologies. People also feared Annihilation, like the collapse of the British Empire, immigration and cultural destruction.

War of the Worlds came back in 1938 as a Radio Drama. The 1930s saw the rise of the Nazi party in Europe and people were once again feeling paranoid and scared of being under threat. People feared the rise of the Nazi party in Germany and Fascism in Europe as it was the opposite of capitalism. They also feared a World War. Peoples fear of 'Others' grew too as Fascism started becoming more popular and Nazis gained more power. They also feared the ideological challenges that came from Fascism. They also feared foreign nations such as Japan, Russia, Germany, and Italy. People started to fear Annihilation too as rumours of World War 2 grew.