Stephen Billiot
Mrs. Meadows
English IV 7th Period
26 March 2015
Manipulation of the Masses; and the Warning of Totalitarian Society
George Orwell’s novel 1984 is a strong warning against totalitarian government much like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin’s twelve year government leadership. In 1984 George Orwell alludes to the dangers of propaganda, technology, along with physical and mental manipulation of a society used by government.
It is no surprise how effective propaganda is when trying to manipulate people into believing an idea. Most of us are bombarded with propaganda daily from radio and tv commercials either trying to convince us of what we need or what we should be doing. This tactic is successful not only in business, but in
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politics as well. In 1984 London is facing urban decay and poverty however, Big Brother’s constant propaganda from televisions,currency, stamps and posters are psychologically over stimulating the people with the idea that the Party’s failures are actually successes. As well as reminding society constantly that, “Big Brother Is Watching You” (2). Winston along with the rest of society can not escape from Big Brother’s watchful eye, listening ear, or suffocation of individuality. Hitler used propaganda such as large military rallies to gain support from the masses. He also took advantage of a time of severe poverty and promised the people of Germany that he would break free from the Treaty of Versailles and to bring economic prosperity to Germany and it’s people. People were attracted to the large colorful rallies with their loud marching bands. They also spent large amounts of money on posters, pamphlets, and newspaper that praised Hitler. Germany was desperate for a solution and German’s fell into Hitler’s promises, “By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise” (“Propaganda and Promises”) .People were surrounded by the idea and image of Hitler as a great leader much like how Big Brother is portrayed by the Party as omniscient rightful leader. To gain initial support Stalin used new media sources such as movies and radio marketing himself as a man with a plan to solve the economy with his Five Year Plan. Like the Germans Soviet citizens were starving and looking for someone to fix the Soviet Union’s endless problems. Unlike technology before, the use of new technology such as movies and radio Stalin and Hitler were able to reach large amounts of people spread across their territories with their grand ideas and selfish hidden agendas. Like most things on TV and radio, things are hardly what they seem. The propaganda from Big Brother, Stalin, and Hitler was meant to be simple, simple enough for people not to question enough and for them to be able to not get caught up in politics that distract from their ideas. Consequently, technology also plays a huge role in ensuring progress in propaganda. (“Propaganda and Promises”; “"Under Lenin and Stalin.1921-1939") Even though at the time computers had not been invented yet Orwell referenced a technology that we would compare to a computer called complicated mechanisms.
These complicated mechanisms are a representation of a technology that could be used for the greater moral good however, they are used to monitor economic growth and ultimately for the use of evil in 1984. Additionally, the use of TVs are a major component in brain washing society into falling under Big Brother’s Control. The TV screens are unavoidable and almost hypnotic to the people of London. Furthermore, Big Brother uses microphones everywhere to spy on those who spoke against the Party which demonstrates the Party’s paranoia with rebellion. Like Big Brother’s Party, Hitler and Stalin were extremely paranoid with thoughts of rebellion and conspiracy against them. With this idea Orwell is focusing on the serious consequences of advancing in technology. Technology can be a wonderful tool when used for good, but the power that comes with it can also be destructive. Much like today with our TV shows and commercials subliminally portraying what we should be living our lives like, what we should be buying, and what we should be thinking Orwell is warning us how important it is to be aware and educated in our history and the world around us. The past is connected not only to the present, but also to the future; Hitler and Stalin’s use of technology in their propaganda are eerily similar to that of Big Brother’s. The Soviet Union and Germany, two large societies were manipulated by sophisticated propaganda and technology during a time of great need just as the city of London in 1984 is continuously tricked into thinking the decay of their city,starvation of people, and its crumbling foundation is a success. The idea is not to think, but to do out of desperation and
darkness.
Technology and Propaganda was not only essential in gaining psychological and physical control for Stalin and Hitler, it was also key for Big Brother. Stalin and Hitler were mass murders and installed absolute fear within the Soviet Union and Germany. Anyone who opposed or slightly threatened their rule would be eliminated. It has even been said that no one wanted to be the first one to stop clapping for Stalin out of fear that they may be accused of treason; instead, people would clap until bells went off letting them know that they could stop ("Under Lenin and Stalin.1921-1939").Both Hitler and Stalin purged millions of citizens who threatened their agenda. Hitler is known for attempting to torture and wipe out the Jewish race as well as killing of citizens he thought undermined his authority supposedly including his own niece (“Propaganda and Promises”). Stalin much like Hitler murdered millions of his own Soviet’s out of paranoia, and is suspected to have killed his own wife after she opposed his behavior. Similarly, Big Brother’s consequence for disloyalty was torture. For instance, when Winston was subjected to “treatment” because he was considered insane for his actions and thoughts he was asked his worst fear and was subjected to torture until he submitted to the Party. Rebels were seen as extremely dangerous to the Party as well as to the Soviet Union and Germany and were to be feared by everyone. For example, in 1984 Emmanuel Goldstein was seen as the most dangerous man in London.
People of London were subjected to behavior conditioning due to fear of torture and death much like those of Germany and the Soviet Union. In order to ensure mass cooperation and to prevent conspiracy Big Brother, similar to Hitler, destroyed the family unit. Not only did both Hitler and Big Brother have secret police to spy on society they also used children as spies against their parents. It was highly likely and expected for a child to report signs of suspicious acts of rebellion. With parents unable to trust their children and with children unable to trust their parents this contributed to the idea that government knows what is best for your family. Hitler knew that there was power in numbers, though, and family values so he used the destruction of the family unit to help eliminate that possibility. The Party’s motives were greatly the same as Hitler’s and were successful in controlling rebellion with the constant reminder that, “Big Brother is Watching You”, and even went a step further by installing microphones to listen in on everyone (2). Also, like Hitler’s instruction for sex the Party makes it clear that sex is for procreation only, “Sexual intercourse was to be looked on as a slightly disgusting minor operation, like having an enema” (69). Hitler was concerned with creating a perfect race as well as keep as much emotional distance between people as possible. The Party does this as well and does not allow for people to engage in sexual affairs that are not for the use of procreation.
Under Stalin’s rule Soviet Union citizens were subject to long laboring days in factories and labor camps with little to no pay while the cost of living skyrocketed up 125%. Not to mention the population was malnourished and exhausted due to having to work long hours to provide for barely to not even enough for themselves. The thought behind this was not only to increase industrialization profits substantially, but also to physically break down its people so much that they would be to exhausted to rebell. The Party had similar motives and subjected its workers to long work days with way less than the appropriate pay. Additionally, people were forced to participate in mass exercises called the Physical Jerks therefore making everyone extremely physically exhausted. Thus the people of London felt hopeless much like those under Stalin and Hitler’s rule felt, “"You will work for a while, you will be caught, you will confess, and then you will die... There is no possibility that any perceptible change will happen within our own lifetime. We are the dead" (177). After political and physical manipulation psychological manipulation becomes nature due to fear, exhaustion, and desperation. (“Under Lenin and Stalin.1921-1939”)
Perhaps psychological manipulation is the most fearful of all manipulation. After all Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds” (“Translation”). The USSR made all rebel behavior illegal, and is also responsible for misdiagnosing thousands of people with philosophical intoxication for writing or speaking of opposing politics or theologies. People were incarcerated in mental institutions and subjected to harsh involuntary psychiatric treatments; these people were victims of political psychology much like Winston, “in general, the greater the understanding, the greater delusion, the more intelligent, the less sane” (169). Winston’s treatment was both physically and psychologically abusive. Like the USSR’s terrifying accusations of treason, it was illegal for the people of Oceania to to be disloyal to the Party with not only behavior, but thought as well. The intention of both the Soviet Union and the Party was to create utter submission of the mind out of fear.
There was nothing that those under Stalin and Hitler’s rule feared more than the physical death, and the same is true for those in 1989. This is the reason Winston ultimately gives in and asks for Julia to be punished over him. This action not only demonstrates his lack of emotional attachment to her and his overwhelming conclusion that nothing is worth pain or death. Another way to control large groups of people is to control education in order to ensure illiteracy and create an illusion that everything is fine. If people can not understand the literature of the situation or the true reality of the problems at hand it will be hard for them to formulate a sound rebuttal against a powerful government force. Hitler was not so much concerned with bringing down German literacy; instead, he focused on bettering German education to create the perfect race however, he did alter historical records and books to fit what he believed should be tought. Stalin on the other hand like Big Brother was determined to make the majority of the people less mentally aware of the world around them. As Joseph Stalin stated, “ ideas are more powerful than guns - why should we let them have ideas” (“Joseph Stalin"). Like Big Brother’s Ministry of Truth that alters history and propaganda to benefit the Party, both Hitler and Stalin are guilty of having agencies that did the same thing. Hitler is even quoted saying, “ If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed” ("Propaganda and Promises"). In fact, Stalin had a whole agency dedicated to eradicating any evidence of assassinated political personnel who were associated with anything thought to be treason. The agency did this by photo editing men out of pictures or blacking out their faces with ink. Even one of Big Brother’s Party slogans is,“Who controls the past', ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past'" (37). Distrubingly enough, the mind manipulation goes so far in 1984 as to convince the people of Oceania to double think and accept to contrasting ideas as logical. For example, during Hate Week the Party shift diplomatic allegiance, and the nation is so brainwashed that logic reasoning does not contradict the political shift. This is similar to when Germany signed a treaty with the Soviet Union and then contradicted the treaty by attacking the Soviet Union without any question from the German soldiers. Stalin, Hitler, and those working for the Party, or even Big Brother himself took advantage of the physical exhaustion people were under as well as the pent up emotional and mental frustrations and directed it towards their own personal motives. ("Propaganda and Promises" ;"Joseph Stalin")
In conclusion, there are striking similarities between George Orwells representation of a totalitarian government and that of Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler’s government leadership. 1984 serves as an important warning against the dangers of totalitarian government along with the terrifying reality of political manipulation.
Works Cited
Dean, Mike, and George Orwell. 1984. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2003. Print.
"Joseph Stalin." Joseph Stalin. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.
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