Examples of Totalitarianism and Its Consequences in the Novel '1984'

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Orwell observed that every line of serious work he’s written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, from his understanding. Around the time of World War II, George Orwell was a major contributor to anticommunist literature. Orwell lived in England during World War II, when Nazi Germany, a totalitarian state, was at war with England and destroyed the city of London. “‘I know that building’, Winston finally admitted. ‘It's now a shambles. It's right outside the Palace of Justice, in the middle of the street’. ‘Outside of the legal system. It was bombed a long time ago’ (Orwell, 83). This reflects Orwell's own life experiences as a citizen in war-torn England, as well as how he employs them in ‘1984’. Totalitarianism is used to warn people of danger and show the impact it has on them and society. Because the government will use propaganda schemes to convince people to believe the lies they tell them. George Orwell is best known for two major novels that criticize totalitarianism. After the Allies lost World War II, dictators gained complete control of a large portion of the globe in ‘1984’. The government in this novel gives its citizens no freedoms. They live in fear of having negative thoughts about Oceania's government, which is a crime punishable by death. This is the crown jewel in Orwell's collection of anti-totalitarian novels. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how George Orwell used ‘1984’ as a political statement against totalitarianism.

The Ministry of Truth is where the Party's utopian beliefs are reflected in rewriting important or meaningless history and facts. They completely destroy the historical record. They print new issue editions of old newspapers and books. And they know that a modified version will be replaced by another modified version. Their goal is to make people forget everything, including facts, words, names of people who are no longer alive, and names of places. Orwell's explanation does not fully establish how much they can erase the past. It is clear that they work very hard and achieve impressive results. The idea of complete oblivion has not yet been realized, but there is still room for improvement. Winston and Julia are Ministry of Truth employees. Winston is more mentally engaged in his work than Julia is. Winston Smith and his Ministry of Truth colleagues spend their days rewriting history: “Most of the material you were dealing with had no connection with anything in the real world, not even the kind of connection contained in a direct lie” (George Orwell). Winston lacks Julia's mental fortitude. His work has a greater impact on him. The Ministry of Truth is similar to a totalitarian state in that it has methods of scaring its citizens. People who have committed crimes are obliterated from the face of the earth. Your name was removed from the registers, and all evidence of your existence was denied and then forgotten. People were taken away without any rights once more. There was no trial and no arrest report (Orwell, 19). The real purpose of the Ministry of Truth is to spread lies and control citizens through amnestic technology. The distinction between true and false in the usual sense has disappeared. This is the great cognitive triumph of totalitarianism.

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All criminals are tortured, reincarnated, released or killed in the Ministry of Love. Winston knows that as soon as he is detained, he will go to the Ministry of Love. The Ministry of Love was the worst. There were no windows at all. Winston had never been to the Ministry of Love, not even half a kilometer away. It was a place that could only be entered through official duties and was only accessible through a maze with barbed wire obstacles, iron gates, and hidden nests of machine guns. Even the streets leading to the outer enclosures were patrolled by gorilla face guards in black uniforms and armed with articulated batons (Orwell, 8). In totalitarian countries, there is something similar to the Ministry of Love. This is where governments can harm their subjects with minor and serious crimes. Totalitarian states fear suffering and retain power over their citizens. The name 'Ministry of Love' is a logical contradiction. The name suggests love and warmth, but in reality, it is the exact opposite. A cold, dark place full of hatred and pain. We should call it the Ministry of Hate.

George Orwell lived during the reconstruction of Europe after World War II. During this period, the Soviet Union secured six countries with satellites. Britain was powerless and had to solve its own problems by watching the Soviet Union control half of Germany. Soviet leader Stalin is like Big Brother. In their country, they were both figures greater than life. A large poster with Stalin's face was readily available in the USSR. The same is true in ‘1984’. Big Brother's face can be seen everywhere. According to a famous quote from ‘1984’, Big Brother is watching you (Orwell, 5). In other words, his TV screen and hidden microphone will catch you if he thinks cops don't catch you. The KGB pursued criminals who had conspired against the Soviet government. Over 10 million people were killed during Stalin's reign. In ‘1984’, hundreds of criminals were killed every day. Another hallmark of the 1940s was the advent of broadcast television and mainframes. New technologies can be used as a means of control. Orwell predicted that communist states would use these technologies to control them. Orwell came up with the idea of a television screen and a hidden microphone. Orwell's worst encounter with the communists occurred before World War II. During the Spanish Civil War, Orwell fled from Soviet communists who wanted to kill him. After this experience, he left the military to pursue a career as a writer. Orwell may have painted what he saw in his world when he wrote his writings, but he was painting to attract people. interest in real-world problems. Orwell's main goal is to distort the disturbing conditions, tendencies and habits of thought he observed in the world. Orwell saw the world moving steadily towards a ruthless tyranny. He felt that nothing could stop his tremendous progress.

Despite its futuristic setting, ‘1984’ is primarily a novel about the world today, not a utopian fantasy of the world 30 or 40 years from now. Orwell always compares the characters in his books to real people and perspectives. Winston presents Orwell's point of view in ‘1984’. In O'Brien and Big Brother, he portrays a totalitarian leader, while Julia represents everyone's desires and desires. The various themes and motives of the story define the Party's inhuman political philosophy. Throughout the novel, Orwell's warnings about government control appear through propaganda, mind control, and horror. A deeper study of the use of language and symbols. George Orwell hated totalitarianism and everything he represented. In the present world, he saw the problem of totalitarianism. He also realized how problems could be bloated and exacerbated by the post-World War II economic instability in Europe. He intentionally makes his story unrealistic and exaggerated to grab people's attention and make them believe that it may not be real in the near future. This became the focus of his novels as a result of his deep dissatisfaction with totalitarianism. George Orwell's novels were written to oppose totalitarianism and support socialism and what it stands for.

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Examples of Totalitarianism and Its Consequences in the Novel ‘1984’. (2023, September 08). Edubirdie. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/examples-of-totalitarianism-and-its-consequences-in-the-novel-1984/
“Examples of Totalitarianism and Its Consequences in the Novel ‘1984’.” Edubirdie, 08 Sept. 2023, edubirdie.com/examples/examples-of-totalitarianism-and-its-consequences-in-the-novel-1984/
Examples of Totalitarianism and Its Consequences in the Novel ‘1984’. [online]. Available at: <https://edubirdie.com/examples/examples-of-totalitarianism-and-its-consequences-in-the-novel-1984/> [Accessed 28 Apr. 2024].
Examples of Totalitarianism and Its Consequences in the Novel ‘1984’ [Internet]. Edubirdie. 2023 Sept 08 [cited 2024 Apr 28]. Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/examples-of-totalitarianism-and-its-consequences-in-the-novel-1984/
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