Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984

Esther Pierre-Louis
Mr. Buttacavoli
English II
28 February 2023

1984 Essay

Totalitarian societies share oppressive and invasive traits that aid in their control of every aspect of society under their power. These traits assure the prevention of any occurrence of disruption within the reign of the authoritarian leadership. In addition, they maintain the unfair amount of power the rulers of the totalitarian regime possess over their citizens. For example, real life totalitarian societies such as North Korea possess total control over their citizens through their party, technology, and laws. Often, totalitarian novels are based on real life totalitarian regimes. In the society of the novel 1984 which was written by the author George

North Korea uses surveillance to monitor its citizens and report them if suspected of committing crimes or for acting suspiciously.“North Korea’s internal security agencies rely on constant surveillance, a network of informants in every neighborhood, and the threat of punishment in North Korea’s notorious prison camps to ensure the Kim regime’s total control”( Gause 11 ). This shows evidence that in North Korea, surveillance is used as a tool to maintain total control. Similarly, the government of 1984 uses surveillance to ensure that almost every citizen follows the values of their society and reports those who refuse to follow. Information about this surveillance within Oceania is“The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound that Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision which the metal plaque commanded, he could be seen as well as heard. There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment”. ( Orwell 5 ) This quote explains how the leadership in 1984 uses surveillance to monitor their citizens’ lives. With the implementation of surveillance of the citizens, brutal justice systems are placed for those who are caught violating the

The usage of such justice systems aids in ensuring that the ideals and the power the government possesses doesn’t fall due to using fear which prevents the possibility of a rebellion breaking out. “Under the rule of Kim Jong Un, the third leader of the nearly 75-year Kim dynasty, the totalitarian government deepened repression and maintained fearful obedience using threats of execution, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and forced labor.”( Roth ) This shows how North Korea maintained power over its citizens by using the fear of undergoing the brutal and unjust legal systems to its advantage. Similarly, the usage of brutal justice systems is evident within the government of 1984. The fear of being arrested and convicted of a crime and the uncertainty of what occurs within the legal system drives people to act in a way that is orthodox to their society’s ideologies. “ This was not illegal ( nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws ), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty- five years in a forced labor camp.” ( Orwell 9 ). This demonstrates the government using the people’s fear of being placed in the legal system and the uncertainty of what would be considered suspicious to maintain control over their citizens. In