The most important context of The Handmaid's Tale 

Atwood's novel 'The Handmaid's Tale' is heavily influenced by a broad range of contexts, including 2nd wave Feminism, 1980s religious conservatism in America, the rise of post-WWII autocracies, the tradition of dystopian literature and memoir writing.
In this video, I identify two of the most important contextual influences underpinning Handmaid's Tale's themes and characters, and reference specific moments in the novel to illustrate how history, politics, society and culture informed Atwood's writing.
TIMESTAMPS:
02:20 - Context 1: Politicisation of religion in 1980s America
10:48 - Context 2: Religiosity of politics in history
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