As propaganda begins to dominate all information, reality gets buried deeper and deeper. Unfortunately, some rulers strive to achieve this control, to the extent of altering the past. Two works exemplify this: 1984 and Life Under Stalin. The former is a dystopian novel by George Orwell, that warns readers of the horrors of a totalitarian state. The latter is a documentary produced by Jo Adendorff, that reveals how Joseph Stalin transformed the Soviet Union under his rule. Although 1984 is fictional, real leaders like Stalin have shown that humans are capable of manipulating history, just like the Party of Oceania has, for their own benefit. The oligarchs of both worlds do this to justify their actions and eliminate any opposition. The Party and Stalin …show more content…
In 1984, another purpose for the constant revision of news and history was to remove any possible contradictions the government made so that nobody could blame the Party for making errors. Furthermore, anyone who “had incurred the displeasure of the Party simply disappeared and were never heard of again.” (Orwell 45) This was called vaporization. Everybody had to have unwavering support and trust in the Party. Similarly, in the Soviet Union, books and photographs were altered to eradicate those who had fallen foul of Stalin. Anyone who opposed the government would be denounced as an enemy of the state, be forced to confess, and then be exiled or killed. For instance, during his rise to power, Stalin tried to discredit Trotsky, his rival. Under his command, Trotsky was expelled and assassinated. Another example is the Kulaks, farmers who rebelled against the idea of collectivized agriculture. Stalin liquidated them as a social class and branded them as the “Enemy of the Peasants” (Life Under Stalin). The two parties ultimately wanted a thoughtless and unquestioning