George Orwell's 1984: The Totalitarian Government

1984 is the book that brings new meaning to the saying, “You are being watched.” George Orwell writes about a fictional negative utopian government that is all-knowing and all-powerful and takes place in London, England around 1984. The totalitarian government in 1984 reflects the author’s knowledge of the non-fictional government in Nazi Germany under the rule of Adolf Hitler and the Soviet Union under the rule of Joseph Stalin. Totalitarian government is a form of government where political authority possesses complete control of all aspects of life. This government restricts individuals from having any basic human rights, such as the right to freedom of speech, religion, and privacy. It progresses to a point where the government tries to

Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police establish incomprehensive oppression of their people where the people begin to reject their own individuality and intellectual reasoning to be more agreeable with the party’s ideals. Big Brother wields total power over the inhabitants of the totalitarian state. He monitors every citizen twenty-four hours a day which restricts any form of privacy. The Party is the upper class of the government who can make laws and are two percent of the population. Finally, the Thought Police are the secret police who uncover and punish thought crimes, unexpressed opposition or uncertainty in the ruling party. Due to his hatred for his oppressors, Winston commits several acts of rebellion. By the end of the novel, Winston is caught, tortured, and broken man that mindlessly follows Big Brother. In 1984 by George Orwell, the cliche, “What does not kill you makes you stronger,” is not supported through the novel displays through the struggles of Winston in his acts of anarchy against Big Brother and his time of torture in the Ministry of