How Does Orwell Use Propaganda In 1984

Many leaders spend each day searching for new tactics and strategies to obtain full dominance over society. In his fictional novel 1984, George Orwell displays the lengths people will go to in order to maintain power and control. Tactics have been used throughout the years to achieve greater authority, and brainwash citizens into willingly becoming oppressed. Rulers manipulate society into publicizing unjust political point of views, this tactic is known as propaganda. Propaganda is used to gain control over people of one’s nation. However, nations do not settle for power and control of their our country, and for that reason wars break out. Countries go to war to for the purpose of world dominance. Dictatorships and totalitarianism main focuses

are around power and control. World leaders such as Joseph Stalin were known for their use of dictatorship to gain control of their land.

Stalin’s prestigious strategies to gain power were so famous that Orwell created Big Brother, the leader of the Oceania in the novel 1984, to mirror the strategies and dominance Stalin represented. Leaders of nations will go to whatever extent they need to, to gain power and control of their people.

Propaganda is used in many shapes and forms to brainwash citizens in anyway possible. Throughout history individuals have used the tactic of propaganda to mislead citizens into trusting their unethical actions. This tactic has been around for hundreds of years with the use of posters, speeches, and advertisements , and it is only gaining popularity in recent times. Through the use of Tv, and social media has made it easier for politicians to gain popularity and trust by appealing to the communities wants and needs. The internet and tv

helps to spread the word about the politicians more easily and faster. In the book, Freedom of Speech, Philip Steele states, “Totalitarian states do not just censor opposition to their rule, they also use the media to promote their rule” (Steele 36). Totalitarian states use their power to brainwash their people so they promote and accept any action they take whether it is right or wrong. With new social media being introduced to people around the world, leaders see this as an opportunity to use propaganda to become popular in the eyes of citizens of their country. In the novel 1984, propaganda is a major contributor in the totalitarian state of Oceana. “Orwell's notion of what these telescreens did transmit was the crudest possible sort of propaganda—martial music and endless lists of production figures” (Fitzpatrick), Exclaimed Kathleen Fitzpatrick in, “An overview of 1984”. Televisions in Oceania and those seen by people across the world put thoughts into people's minds that once they begin to see these uses of propaganda over and over it begins to be believe and supported. The nation of Oceania in the novel 1984, and the real world uses propaganda in similar ways to gain control.
In the novel 1984 the party uses propaganda to mislead their people in the same way leaders do in the real world.

Orwell uses the information he had learned and experienced in the world to create the totalitarian nation of Oceania. The use of propaganda was seen all around Orwell and that influenced him to use aspects of propaganda in his novel. Orwell was influenced by use of propaganda in Yugoslavia, as stated by Philip Steele, “In Yugoslavia many innocent people were killed just because they belonged to the wrong ethnic group. Leaders justified this by calling it ‘ethnic cleansing’” (Steele 37). Yugoslavia justified their unethical actions by calling it “ethnic cleansing” similar to the way the party in justified their unethical actions why calling them “Thought Crimes”. The party vaporized an person that goes against the government, and justifies this action by calling it a “Thought Crime” this use of propaganda is identical to the actions in Yugoslavia. Nations of the world are treating their people in a cruel way, but by the use of propaganda they advertise is as something that needs to be done to benefit the country. This way people accept it (Steele 36). The nation in 1984, and those around the world both strive for total control and power. They will not stop until they have complete control and power over not only their people, but the nations around

them.
Nations start wars with other countries to achieve their goal of complete power and control over their people and the world. Determined leaders have gained and lost power throughout history. Powers have fallen since the cold war, but new ones are beginning to emerge, and tension is still present between the lands. Threats of the Cold War have vanished in the late 80’s, but new threats have emerged since then. “Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union reached new lows after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Responding to this action, the United States led a boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and withdrew its support for a new arms-control treaty” (Snead), stated David L. Snead in Dictionary of American History. When the Cold War was coming close to an end, the Soviet Union brought about new threats and actions to gain more land and dominance around the world. The cold war brought about many threats that people feared daily. These threats have lessened throughout the years, but new ones bring fear into people’s lives, such as ISIS, Bomb threats, and other terrorist attacks (Snead). Major wars may come to an end, but terrorist groups and leaders are always trying to gain more power by fighting and bringing about new threats. All the new threats and world powers brought about fear in the lives of many living on Earth.
People around the world have become frightened by the threats brought upon them. This fear that another country would try to overpower other nations caused more countries and allies to get involved in the war. As wars broke out other nations got involved, as stated by the author of Dictionary of American History, “During the Cold War, the Vietnam war broke out which cause the U.S to send troops in to fight abroad. “The collapse of French efforts in 1954 led to more direct American involvement in preserving a non-communist government in what became South Vietnam” (Snead). The spread of communism in the Soviet Union put fear into other countries, especially the United States. This fear led to more battles to keep the communist nation from gaining more control and power. The fear of the Cold War gave an everyday threat to Americans. American people made bomb shelters and practices drills because they were never certain whether a bomb would be dropped on them (Snead). Like the nation the of Oceania in 1984 were always faced with the threat of “Rocket bombs”, the real world always fears the possibility of being attacked at any time of day. Oceania and the world during the Cold War had one task they aimed to achieve, and that task was full domination of society and power over other countries. This goal of complete dominance was only able to be achieved through strong, determined, ruthless leaders.