Charlie Chaplin's 'Great Dictator' speech is trending again — it's still as powerful today as in the 1940s

Sometimes, letting go of one's past achievements can lead to a new and refreshing beginning. The same occurred when legendary comic actor Charlie Chaplin decided to break his years of silence on the silver screen. Amid the brink of World War II, the global icon was shooting a film to advocate for a world free of hate. At the time, Chaplin was popularly known for his renowned performance as “The Tramp,” portraying his hilarious avatar without uttering any words. It didn’t take him much effort to step out of the silent yet witty character even stronger in the 1940 classic “The Great Dictator.” The film's climax reached a point where the protagonist, a picturized representation of Nazi Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler, delivered a powerful speech that still resonates with millions on the internet. The call to condemn fascism and ask for people’s unity in the name of democracy recently went viral again, years after it was reshared on Chaplin’s posthumous YouTube channel (@TheChaplinFilms).

When the lead character of the vintage film, a tyrannical dictator named Adenoid Hynkel, was arrested, his look-alike, a Jewish barber played by Chaplin, showed up to address the nation’s army. While everyone anticipated words about tyranny and conquest, the barber used the platform to denounce fascism, militarism, and oppression. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone—if possible—Jew, gentile—black man—white,” he said, emphasizing the human nature of helping one another. Furthermore, Chaplin urged people to live by each other’s happiness, in contrast to the grim reality of those challenging times.

“We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world, there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way,” Chaplin said with a plain look on his face. His signature toothbrush mustache mirrored the appearance of the Third Reich’s chancellor. The English actor highlighted how greed had poisoned human beings’ souls and “barricaded” the world with hate. Calling for an end to bloodshed, he remarked, “We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity.”

Although the film was first screened in New York, Charlie took the risk of exposing himself without a mask. According to the late actor’s official website, speaking in the film also meant putting to death the iconic character that had made him famous. “First picture in which the story is bigger than the ‘Little Tramp,’” CharlieChaplin.com quoted the comic star as saying, suggesting that he was well aware of the circumstances. The cherished three-and-a-half-minute monologue concluded with him addressing the historical crimes committed by Hitler and his regime: “Even now, my voice is reaching millions throughout the world—millions of despairing men, women, and little children—victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.”