Essay On The Similarities Between The Holocaust And 1984

The Similarities Between the Holocaust and 1984

Erin McMahon Honors Literature II Mr. Spalding May 24, 2024.

Introduction Imagine living in a world where every aspect of your life is controlled by a manipulative, power-hungry government. This was the reality for many during the Holocaust and in George Orwell’s 1984, because they lived under their totalitarian government. Additionally, the relentless propaganda the regime used instilled fear and hatred in their citizens, which allowed them the power to control. In both scenarios, the leadership established branches of government and created organizations to spread their ideology to young subjects. They also created scapegoats to unite their people under a common enemy. These

In fact, the Hitler Youth and League of German Girls even encouraged members to report to their leaders about what was happening in their schools, churches, and families.” Essentially, the government created a youth organization that controlled the adolescent society into believing their ideology and that anyone around them could have been a traitor. This is exactly what the Party sought to generate with the Junior Spies. In order to get children to join the youth association, the Party created propaganda for the children. This undermined family structure even more because the Junior Spies main job was to monitor any disloyal member to the Party even if it was a relative. The main character in the novel, Winston, even stated that “What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet this produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the Party. On the contrary, they adored the party and everything connected with it. The songs, the processions, the banners, the hiking, the drilling with dummy rifles, the yelling of slogans, the worship of Big Brother—it was all a sort of glorious game to them.” Generally, the Party created miniature spies that were obsessed

“After World War I, the new Nazi Party and its leader, Adolf Hitler, blamed Jews for Germany’s defeat. They claimed that the Jews had “stabbed Germany in the back.” Hitler used the Jews as a reason to act victimized and to justify the need for Germany to fight back. This is similar to how the Party treated Goldstein because they portrayed him as a villain who had personally attacked their state. As their scapegoat, the Party spread lies that Golstien was a traitor and constantly blamed him for any inconvenience. Additionally, the government used the Jews and Goldstein as tools to unite the people under a common hatred during the Holocaust and in 1984. Both scapegoats stand as a significant symbol in each storyline. The Jews symbolized all of Germany’s problems, serving as a convenient target for blame and absolving the country’s ruined state. Goldstein, on the other hand, “represents the effectiveness of the Party's propaganda tools. Though the people of Oceania had no actual evidence that Goldstein exists, they happily accept that Goldstein is at fault for all of Oceania's problems.” The creation of scapegoats is the starting point to everything that went wrong with both totalitarian governments. Conclusion The similarities that both