The Themes Of Censorship In George Orwell's 1984

Censorship has occurred all over the world for centuries, but has become more prevalent in the most recent years. George Orwell’s 1984 was written in 1949 as his prediction of what censorship would transform society into. The types of censorship found in George Orwell’s 1984 contains parallels to censorship during major events of our past. This censorship, and that of the modern world, does not always protect the best interest of the population. What is censorship? The exact answer has never been determined. The Oxford Dictionary Defines it as, “The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.” (Definition) Some see censorship as an obvious

Thus, an accurate definition has not been deliberated, since there are many conflicting views on the concept. Censorship seen in the past draws strong connections with censorship found in 1984. A few past examples of censorship are Stalin’s regime and the German Nazis. Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union from the mid 1920s to 1953. As the leader of a communist state, Stalin had the power to control the ideas that he was supplying to his people. To quote Stalin, “Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas.” (Stalin’s Regime) One such enemy was the Soviet intellectual Leon Trotsky. Stalin saw him as a threat to security and labeled him an “enemy of the people” after he denounced Stalin’s leadership. Trotsky spread his idea that Stalin acted in his own interests as a dictator rather than that of the people. As a result, he was deported for his thoughts against the Soviet Union in 1929. The government edited Trotsky out of photos and historical records after his deportation to make it seem to the people as if he had never existed. (Falsification) Similar modes of censorship were used by the Party in 1984 to control the

To physically eliminate the spread of information that went against Nazi ideology, the government held book burnings. Among the volumes burned were the works of Albert Einstein and Karl Marx. (The History) Nazi book burnings parallel the memory holes in 1984. Memory holes were government owned chambers where documents that the government disagreed with were sent to be burned. The Nazis censored the lives of their young citizens to protect the ideals of their party. They created youth oriented programs to develop the ideal Nazi citizen. German teachers feared that they would be denounced by their students for teaching illegal ideas. The school system was reformed so that the main focus was on developing obedient citizens, not intellectual thinkers. Nazi propaganda was taught as truth and students were worked into excellent physical condition, however, they lacked basic skills in mathematics, grammar, and science. In the words of Hitler, “I want a brutal, domineering, fearless, and cruel youth… The free, splendid beast of prey must once again flash from its eyes… That is how I will eradicate thousands of years of human domestication.” (The History) Hitler referred to this new way of society the New Order. Anyone refusing to conform to Hitler’s New Order was removed from society and sent to a concentration camp for re-education. There, they were tortured until