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1984 Study Guide9 chapters | 79 lessons
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Some people joke that they live in a house with totalitarian parents or a dorm that is a totalitarian state. But true totalitarianism is not some angry parents cutting up credit cards and taking away the Prius for a couple of weeks, or the dorm resident assistant writing you up for partying a little too hard last Friday night. Totalitarianism in an ugly form of governmental control and the total or near total control of the actions, lives, desires and events in its citizens' lives.
Let's look at totalitarianism and how it is examined in George Orwell's famous novel, 1984. George Orwell wrote 1984 in 1949, after seeing the devastating effects of World War II and the horrifying totalitarianism of the time. Adolph Hitler's Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin, Benito Mussolini's Italy, and later China under Mao Tse Tung are clear examples of totalitarian states that existed in the early part of the 20th century. Mussolini defined the mindset of totalitarian states when he said, 'All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.'
By such definition, North Korea and Eritrea today could be defined as totalitarian states, but there are signs of totalitarianism even in rich, liberal democracies. When we talk about totalitarianism in George Orwell's 1984, and by extension totalitarian states, there are certain elements and tactics these states use to control citizens.
The key element of totalitarianism in Orwell's 1984 is Big Brother. Big Brother, which represents the government, is everywhere. In nearly every aspect of daily life, Big Brother controls what you do, think, eat, and even feel. Big Brother controls everything; information, history, physical, and psychological needs. He is a friend and the enemy of your enemy. He will protect you and save you.
All information, including history, is controlled by the government in 1984. By controlling the past, the government controls the present. At the rally, the government switches sides in its never-ending war with East Asia and Eurasia. Citizens panic, realizing they had made the wrong signs. Winston's job at the Ministry of Truth, which is in fact dedicated to lies and mistruth in classic Doublespeak, is to rewrite history so that it serves the party.
Think of how Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union after previously allying themselves with the Soviet Union and signing a non-aggression treaty. Propaganda and forever rewriting the past to serve the present and the future, is presented as information and news in 1984. If Big Brother says it, it must be true.
By keeping citizens unstable and even underfed, the government of the novel creates an air of paranoia and confusion. Citizens are reliant on the government for everything, including their physical needs. This is also used to hide the ineptitude and waste of the government, just like the communal farming in the Soviet Union and China, which accidentally created mass famine. Sex is not for pleasure. It is a duty to the state. Children are controlled by the state. Mrs. Parson's children are Junior Spies and threaten Winston by accusing him of Thoughtcrime.
In 1984, the government uses violence to control the population. Mental and physical torture are acceptable forms of discipline. All citizens risk becoming an 'unperson' if they disagree or challenge the government. Winston denounces Julia only when his worst physical wear, of being eaten by rats, seems his fate.
The telescreen is not only a way to transmit information in 1984, it is also a way to watch every citizen in not only their work life, but their private life as well. When Winston is admonished to work harder by physical jerks through his telescreen, it is a jolt of reality that Big Brother is watching everyone. The telescreen is a direct portal to the government, but also a direct link to the citizen. Rather than being used for good and to promote civilization, telescreens are used to control citizens.
Technology, for example in pre-television and pre-computer Nazi Germany, where radios were confiscated, is the key to total control. People do not realize what is happening until it is too late. Think about your cell phone. It's essentially a way to pull up and learn the collected knowledge of humanity, but people use it to watch cat videos. There is nothing wrong with cat videos, but you get the idea. Imagine being in a total war where annihilation was a very real possibility. It's not unreasonable to think the government would commandeer control of every cell phone and direct citizens how to win the war, even if that war was unwinnable or just a way to control citizens.
George Orwell's 1984 presents key elements of totalitarianism by reflecting total control over society by the government. Big Brother is everything to everyone. By controlling information, history, physical needs and more, citizens are a quiet, serving mass who do not challenge the party. The use of technology and propaganda is the underlying stone to totalitarianism.
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1984 Study Guide9 chapters | 79 lessons
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