Dystopian timeline

• Sir Thomas More, Utopia

  1516 - More outlines a 'perfect' society. The word itself is a pun: in Greek 'eu-topos' means 'good place' and 'u-topos' means 'no place'.
• Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species

  1859 - Darwin's work popularises the scientific theory of evolution through natural selection, impacting utopian and dystopian literature by addressing concerns of human development and degeneration.
• John Stuart Mill's use of 'dystopia'

  1868 - Mill uses 'dystopia' to denounce Irish land policy, suggesting a negative view of societal ideals. The idea of literary dystopia gains traction 50 years later.
• When did Utopian Literature start to gain popularity?

  1820s-1890s - Utopian literature flourishes in the 19th century, influenced by scientific advancements like eugenics and socio-political movements such as socialism, advocating for social and individual improvement.
• Rise of Socialism

  1880s - Socialism gains support as a political and economic theory advocating for communal ownership or regulation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange. It becomes increasingly popular as a system of organisation on a statewide level.
• Francis Galton coins 'eugenics'

  1883 - Galton applies Darwin's theory to humans, advocating for 'hereditary genius' and 'negative' variation limitations, impacting societal views on human improvement.
• H.G. Wells, The Time Machine

  1895 - Wells' novel explores a future society where suffering is replaced by beauty but reveals underlying tensions between social classes.
• Claeys quote about 20th century dystopia

  ‘In the twentieth century, dystopia then becomes dominated by two themes: the despotic collectivism associated with fascism and communism, and the domination of science and technology over humanity both here and in modernity generally.’
• Jack London, Iron Heel

  1908 - An extraordinary prophecy of impending international tensions that would result in WW1. It is a socialist criticism of capitalism.
• World War I

  1914-1918 - WWI's mechanized warfare and mass casualties disillusion humanity, challenging notions of progress and civilization.
• Bolshevik Revolution

  1917 - Russia adopts socialism, sparking fears and debates about collectivism and totalitarianism in dystopian literature.
• Yevgeny Zamyatin, We

  1921 -  a 'perfect society' made of glass enforces universal surveillance and algorithmic rules for happiness. The protagonist, D-503, is awakened to new ideas by I-330, challenging totalitarian control and setting tropes for dystopian fiction.
• Mussolini and Fascism

  1922 - Mussolini's rise to power in Italy marks the spread of Fascism, characterised by authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and strong state control over society and the economy.
• Coining of Totalitarianism

  1928 - term is coined to describe Mussolini’s Italy, reflecting the desire for complete control over citizens' hearts, minds, and bodies, surpassing traditional forms of dictatorship.
• Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

  1932 - Huxley's critique of a genetically engineered society reflects concerns about control, consumerism, and loss of individuality.
• Hitler's Rise to Power

  1934 - Hitler becomes the Führer of Germany, completing his rise to power with an ideology of National Socialism influenced by Italian Fascism, characterised by extreme nationalism and suppression of opposition.
• The Great Purge

  1936-1938 - Stalin's Great Purge in the Soviet Union aims to solidify his power, resulting in widespread paranoia, executions, and oppression by the secret police (NKVD), impacting millions of lives.
• Katharine Burdekin, Swastika Night

  1937 - Set in a future where Hitler is worshipped as a god, the novel exposes the brutality of dictatorship, the degradation of women, and challenges Nazi ideology, becoming a significant anti-Nazi work.
• New York World’s Fair

  1939 - The New York World’s Fair showcases science and technology, reflecting optimism about progress and innovation, attracting millions of visitors.
• World War II

  1939-1945 - WWII's devastation and the Holocaust reveal humanity's capacity for brutality, shaping post-war dystopian literature.
• Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon

  1940 - Koestler's novel serves as a key influence for Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, portraying a totalitarian regime where a once-powerful figure, Rubashov, faces arrest and trial for treason, reflecting themes of anti-Stalinism and political disillusionment.
• Dawn of the Nuclear Age

  1945 - The first nuclear bomb, 'Trinity,' is detonated as a test by the USA, marking the beginning of the 'nuclear age' and the era of nuclear weapons proliferation, with far-reaching implications for global security and warfare.
• Use of Nuclear Weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

  1945 - The USA drops nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in the deaths of about 200,000 people, predominantly civilians, marking the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict and highlighting the devastating consequences of atomic warfare.
• Revelation of the Holocaust

  1945 - As Allied forces advanced across Europe at the end of World War II, they uncovered concentration camps filled with sick and starving prisoners, revealing the extent of the Holocaust, where six million European Jews were systematically persecuted and murdered by the Nazis.
• Clement Atlee's Labour Party Victory

  1945 - In the 1945 election, Clement Atlee's Labour Party swept to power in the UK, leading to the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS) and the welfare state, marking significant social reforms in Britain.
• The Cold War

  1947-1991 - The Cold War between the USA and the Soviet Union is characterised by geopolitical tension, nuclear arms race, propaganda campaigns, and espionage. Fear of communism leads to widespread suspicion, with McCarthyism and the Red Scare labelling many as subversives in the USA.
• George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

  1949 - Orwell's portrayal of totalitarianism and surveillance becomes iconic, influencing dystopian literature and societal discourse.
• Hydrogen Bomb Testing

  1952 - The USA conducts a test of a hydrogen bomb, intensifying the arms race with the USSR and heightening fears of nuclear war among Americans. The government encourages citizens to prepare for potential atomic bomb attacks.
• Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

  1953 - Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, follows Guy Montag, a fireman tasked with burning books in a dystopian society. The novel reflects concerns over totalitarian governments' control of information and censorship, emerging in the post-World War II era.
• Formation of the Population Council 

  1953 - The Population Council is established due to concerns about rapid world population growth. It focuses on addressing the potential disaster posed by overpopulation, despite advancements in technology that have increased food production and reduced mortality rates.
• John Wyndham's The Chrysalids

  1955 - The Chrysalids by John Wyndham depicts a post-apocalyptic world devastated by nuclear war, resulting in genetic mutations. In this society, any form of genetic deviation is ruthlessly eliminated, reflecting fears and anxieties surrounding nuclear warfare and its consequences.
• Launch of Sputnik I

  1957 - the first artificial Earth satellite, is launched as part of the Soviet space program. This event marks the beginning of the space race between the USA and the USSR, heightening tensions between the two superpowers during the Cold War.
• Evolution of dystopia in the 1960s

  • Concerns about nuclear apocalypse lead to post-apocalyptic dystopias.
  • Fear about world overpopulation also features in dystopias of the period.
  • There is ongoing focus on the relationship between humans and machines. Patricia Warrick called it ‘the transforming relationship of the twentieth century’. 
• Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle

  1962 - The novel imagines a world where Germany won WW2. It is an example of the sub-genre of counterfactual history that became popular over the course of the 20th century.
• Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

  1962 - The novel takes the totalitarianism of Orwell with ramped up nihilism and ultraviolence. Alex and his teenage droogs rampage around a futuristic dystopia, committing appalling acts of brutal cruelty. The ideas of brainwashing and state control are explored. Burgess poses the question, “Is it better for a man to have chosen evil than to have good imposed upon him?”
• J. G. Ballard, The Drowned World

  1962 - The novel envisages a London submerged under swamps and vegetation and a rogue scientist strangely reluctant to reverse the climatic process.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis

  1962 - A 35-day confrontation between the USA and the USSR, escalating into an international crisis due to the deployment of missiles in Cuba by both parties. Considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into nuclear war.
• Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique

  1963 - Established the groundwork for the second-wave feminist movement in the USA. The book became a bestseller and sparked discussions about gender roles and equality.
• Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison

  1966 - The novel depicts a dystopian world with a global population of seven billion people, facing issues such as overcrowding, resource shortages, and crumbling infrastructure. Influenced subsequent overpopulation dystopias.
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

  1968 - A dystopian science fiction novel set in a post-nuclear world, exploring themes of identity and humanity in a society where the line between humans and androids blurs.