Fin de siècle
Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century", is a term which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom turn of the century and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of a new era. The term is typically used to refer to the end of the 19th century. This period was widely thought to be a period of degeneration but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning. The "spirit" of fin de siècle often refers to the cultural hallmarks that were recognized as prominent in the 1880s and 1890s, including ennui, cynicism, pessimism, and "...a widespread belief that civilization leads to decadence."
The term "fin de siècle" is commonly applied to French art and artists, as the traits of the culture first appeared there, but the movement affected many European countries. The term becomes applicable to the sentiments and traits associated with the culture, as opposed to focusing solely on the movement's initial recognition in France. The ideas and concerns developed by fin de siècle artists provided the impetus for movements such as symbolism and modernism.
The themes of fin de siècle political culture were very controversial and have been cited as a major influence on fascism and as a generator of the science of geopolitics, including the theory of lebensraum. The major political theme of the era was that of revolt against materialism, rationalism, positivism, bourgeois society, and liberal democracy. The fin-de-siècle generation supported emotionalism, irrationalism, subjectivism, and vitalism, while the mindset of the age saw civilization as being in a crisis that required a massive and total solution.
While "Fin de siècle" was used in French/Francophone countries, it is the equivalent to "Victorian Era" in English/Anglophone societies. While Queen Victoria was passing laws to improve the moral standards (English Obscene Publications Act of 1887), publishers left England for France.
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