1984 The terrors of a totalitarian government presented in George Orwell’s 1984 apply not only to the Party, but also to the Stalinist Russia of the 1930’s. Frightening similarities exist between these two bodies which both started out as forms of government, and then mutated into life-controlling political organizations which “subordinated all institutions and classes under one supreme power” (Buckler 924). Orwell shows how such a system can impose its will on the people through manipulation of media, constant supervision as aided by technology, and the threat of pain, both physical and mental. Orwell also shows how the state has more subtle methods for imposing its authority, such as the manipulation of language and propaganda as they are used to achieve the goal of absolute power for the system. A key parallel between the Party and Stalin’s Communism is the use of technology and communication to control the economic, social, and personal aspects of life. Stalin and Big Brother achieved total control, not only of social and economic aspects of the state, but also of their people’s personal lives. They did this first and foremost by constantly observing the people. Both Stalin & "The Party" believed in total control over their "p
. . .
This punishment came in two forms, mental and physical. Also Stalin would eliminate any rivals for power (ex. Any devious thought or action is dealt with by cruel and deadly punishment. "Newspeak" happened in most communist countries whereby the government "simplified" or deleted words from the dictionary and from peoples' daily life (by penalizing those that use these words). Every human has a breaking point, and fear, hate, and pain are more motivating than love, happiness, and privacy. You haven't a real appreciation of Newspeak, Winston. "It's a beautiful thing, destruction of words. Joseph Stalin could easily fit the description of Big Brother in the novel. In reality most people were oppressed & hungry just as in 1984. The introduction of this new language means that eventually, no one is able to commit thoughtcrime due to the lack of words to express it. The Party rejects and vilifies every principle for which the Socialist movement ever stood, and it chooses to do this in the name of Socialism, just as Stalin claimed to be following Lenin, when in reality he had his own ambitions. This is a frightening concept; the restriction of your thought could destroy your personality if the ability to think for oneself was erased. His Socialist beliefs, coupled with his experience in the Spanish Civil War as a member of the revolutionary militia, led him to realize the threat of fascist, or at least autocratic, rule.
Approximate Word count =
1022
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.
| CREDIT CARD |
ONLINE CHECK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JOIN BY PHONE
|
|
|
