Exploring Totalitarianism in Orwell's 1984

In George Orwell’s 1984, the author blends in his political warnings with thought provoking imagery and symbolism to create both an enjoyable and educational experience. The story follows Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party, which is the totalitarian government that rules their inhabited nation, Oceania. While many citizens have accepted the Party’s wishes, Winston still retains some amount of hatred for the party that seems to grow with every passing day. Throughout Winston's course of action taken to rebel from the party, such as writing in a diary or having sex, Orwell shows the reader the dangers of totalitarianism in a modern society.
Even though Orwell wrote this book in 1950, many of the ideas and warnings presented in the book

still hold value more than 60 years later. Much of the language and symbols used in the book are recognized and used constantly throughout modern society. Symbols such as Big Brother or doublethink show some of the dangers associated with totalitarianism. Despite all the warnings included in the book, there are still totalitarian governments today such as North Korea that have nearly complete control over their citizens. Ultimately, individuals have not yet heeded these warnings, for these governments are still forming. Shockingly, by in large, these governments are all possible not because of the ruler, but because of the people, for their contempt and lack of action is a perfect recipe for complete control.
Many recognize Oceania and its ruling power, the Party, as a terrible place. Many can see from a distance the horrors and disgusting lies that have completely taken over people’s lives. In fact, people are mind controlled by narrowing the “range of thought,” to the point where eventually “thought crime will be literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” (52). Another example is how they manipulate people. In chapter seven, they tell people that things are better than they have ever been, and sadly no one can dispute it because history is being manipulated constantly. Unfortunately, despite being given all of that information, there is nothing done about it. Nothing is done because in this case the proles, or quite possibly bystanders in some way, do not know any different and are content, which is a major problem that affects numerous nations. The United States sees the neglection of bullies while in the 1930’s Germany’s citizens saw the neglection of Hitler. Strangely enough, 60 plus years after reading “she (Julia) only questioned the teachings of the party when they in some way touched upon her own life,” and yet much of society still doesn't realize that Julia could very well be a representation of our own selfish behavior and that ironically, that selfishness eventually affects each and every one of us at some point (153).
Despite many of the warnings of Orwell’s 1984, such as the example with Julia, there are still countries that draw many similarities to the Party’s rule.

One of those countries is North Korea, which has been a totalitarian government for several decades. ABC news even wrote an article about the striking similarities North Korea shares with 1984, saying “North Korean society today looks like a sinister replay of George Orwell's 1984.” According to ABC they even have “government-run 24-hour informant hotlines on which North Koreans can rat on their family” (The Country Where Big Brother Is Watching). The country has been constantly criticized because of the extreme control it places upon its citizens. Even though 1984 represented the extremes of totalitarianism, there are many parallels seen between North Korea and Oceania. For example, the Party uses telescreens to spy on their people, but in this case, more importantly, it was used to spout propaganda constantly. North Korea has the same thing, in that their TV’s only have one channel that is tuned into the state, delivering whatever the state wants their citizens to hear and see. North Korea also promotes hate towards the United States, creating false stories and pictures to further convince their citizens. Similarly, the Party creates false images and depictions of enemies by forcing citizens to attend hate week, which is intended to increase hatred for any enemy or the party, such as Goldstein. North Korea’s citizens have failed to stop the rise of their ruler, but surrounding nations can still succeed at ending their

rule.
Another example is how Adolf Hitler’s regime helped bring insight as to why bystanderism - a common theme in totalitarian governments - is an extremely detrimental way of thinking for any society. The lack of action that follows a revolution or a troubling discovery allows an acceptance, which makes an ending to madness, such as the end of the holocaust, much more difficult. When German citizens first started hearing about the extermination of Jews, many didn’t say or do anything. Many thought that someone would just come and fix it. Many thought that because it didn’t affect them, that it didn’t matter. Because of the lack of action and display of acceptance, the Nazi party went along, with little to no local enemies in their way. With this lack of rebellion, the Nazi’s gained more and more support without citizens even noticing, allowing for millions of people to be executed or worked to death. Eventually, if they had not been stopped, the Nazi regime would just be a way of life. Historian Raul Hilberg agreed, “arguing that most of the people who had an impact on the Holocaust (and were impacted by the Holocaust) ‘were neither perpetrators nor victims.’ ” (Facing History). This is very similar to Oceania. The proles, for example, have gotten used to the Party, and accepts life the way it is, as well as all the other Party members, excluding a few outliers. Overall, being a bystander influences others to become one, creating a general acceptance that exponentially makes any situation worse.
In conclusion, Orwell’s book, 1984, provides numerous political warnings against the formation and continuation of totalitarian governments. Throughout the essay, it is made evident that despite the warnings given, there are still totalitarian governments and aspects that are still relevant in the modern world. Whether that be the near parallel example between North Korea and Oceania or the bystander aspect that infects even the most democratic countries. Given what has been told, it will be interesting to see if the world ahead of us heeds the warnings provided by Orwell, whether that be the eradication of North Korea or a more selfless approach to the terrorism that happens on foreign soil.