Totalitarianism In 1984

It is said that totalitarian governments come about in times of great fear, and are maintained out of great hopelessness. By definition, Totalitarianism is: “the political concept that citizens should be totally subject to an absolute state of authority” (“Totalitarianism”). Essentially, the goal of totalitarianism is to manipulate the individual into a product of the government. George Orwell, author of the famous novel “1984," wrote his book as a warning against the dangers that totalitarianism could have on society. The concept of totalitarianism is pitted against modern beliefs of socialism. By definition, socialism is: “a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution,

Socialist beliefs stem from an overall desire from the community to maintain economic quality. In 1984, the concept of socialism is manipulated through Ingsoc— the Party’s political ideologies. Emmanuel Goldstein, a political enemy of the Party, talks about the manipulation of socialism in his political novel. He says: “The party rejects and vilifies every principle for which the socialist movement originally stood, and chooses to do so in the name of socialism” (Orwell 178). Goldstein points out that the Party manipulates basic socialist principles in order to validate their rules, yet their ideologies do not match any type of socialist beliefs. In the novel 1984, author George Orwell demonstrates the contrasting properties between socialism and totalitarianism by comparing the end goals of each respective forms of government, the effects that both have on society and what happens after each system is established in

In comparison, after a socialist economic system is established, the benefits only grow as the communities’ wealth continues to increase. In 1984, the citizens of Ocenia are caught in an everlasting loop: First, the Party implements/changes a rule that has a negative impact on the citizens. Second, the citizens are unable to recognize the impact that said rule has on their lives, and are unable to rebel. Third, the Party rejoices in their absolute control over their citizens. There is no way out of this loop because all threats are eliminated, as seen in Winston’s arrest and (arguable) execution. Because of this, life only continues to get worse for all citizens living under the rule of the Party. In his literary criticism, Fredric Warburg says: “Orwell is concerned to obliterate hope; there will be no rebellion, there cannot be any liberation. Man cannot stand against Pain, and the Party commands Pain” (Warburg). In relation, the sense of hopelessness that Orwell portrays in 1984 is perfectly summarized in this quote by O’Brien: “‘If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.’” (Orwell 220) Both of these quotes vocalize the same opinion: life gets worse totalitarian governments as time goes on, and there is no hope for a rebellion. Socialism takes a completely different approach. With a