Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984 By George Orwell

Western civilization is taught to be a utopia filled with law and order. In 1949 the English author George Orwell published the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which highlights the trend of political context during twentieth century. Orwell uses this text to expose the power abuse by the government through the creation of Big Brother. The political hierarchy is highlighted throughout the novel and is exposed to be very similar to real life hierarchy. Orwell also uses the four ministries in the novel’s society to expose the true meaning of real life government departments. George Orwell used Nineteen Eighty-Four to show how totalitarianism can supress individual freedom in the near future by exposing many different aspects of a modern government

Big Brother is thought of as an all-powerful higher being. The novel doesn’t ever really state whether Big Brother is a real person or ever actually exists. It is thought of by society and the use of propaganda that Big Brother will never die and according to many billboards and propaganda, “Big Brother is Watching You”. With Big Brother always watching the citizens it symbolizes mass surveillance in society and supresses individual thought or action. Big Brother also represents total power. Total power allows Big Brother to completely control its society in order to protect it from itself. This total control even furthers the suppression of individualism,“For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then?”. The total power is enforced through the mass surveillance. The suppression of individual thought allows Big Brother to reach and maintain its goal,

These ministries include the ministry of Peace, the ministry of Plenty, the ministry of Love, and the ministry of Truth. Orwell’s main character, Winston Smith, works in the Ministry of Truth resulting in the outcome of the plot. Orwell uses these ministries to expose unexpected meanings of each department and to that of the real life government departments. For example, the ministry of Peace actually deals with war and defence. This is very ironic because real governments in society uses the same type of miss leading names. The department of defence is actually used for offensive attacks in real life. This is why Winston Smith in the ministry of truth is actually used to rewrite history in favour of big brother according to this quote, ““Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past?” This is very similar to real society because ever since a person is born they are immediately brainwashed to believe that their nation/culture is the correct one. History has always been manipulated for as long as it has stood. Especially in the early 1900’s history was used as propaganda tool to inspire nationalism among the large uneducated