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Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984

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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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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Although America in the 21st century is developing similar dystopian qualities to the fictional society within George Orwell’s novel 1984, the dystopian qualities of constant surveillance, news modification, and dehumanized state demonstrate how dystopian qualities can exist within the United States without becoming problematic. The United States of America passed the Patriot Act because of the government’s obligation to itself and others to become a safer place from both internal and external threats, showing striking similarities to George Orwell’s 1984 where citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. After being apprehended and locked inside the Ministry of Love for conspiring against the Party, it was made aware to Winston that “for seven years … there was no physical act, no word spoken aloud, that [The Thought Police] had not noticed, no train of thought that they had not been able to infer” (Orwell 276). The secrecy and power of the Thought Police to monitor Winston’s activities is frightening and demonstrates the fear inhabitants of Oceania live under.

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Being unable to have a sense of self, is a big factor in the totalitarian government shown in 1984. Winston Smith, in order to convey the oppression he faced living as an outer party member, said “You had to live - did live, from the habit that became extinct - in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every moment scrutinized” (Orwell 4). Extreme surveillance, by instilling fear in people for being in any way out of character makes them lose their sense of self. After acting as obedient soldiers of the government conforming with society, people nevertheless become what they pretended to be and transformed fully into those government soldiers.

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