1984 Totalitarianism Analysis

Improved Essays
Totalitarianism is defined by Britannica as a, “form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that seeks to subordinate all aspects of the individual’s life to the authority of the government.” Totalitarianism happens all over the world and is included in the book 1984. Nazi Germany is a real life example of a totalitarian state. Hitler was the charismatic leader of the Nazis and he established complete control over political, social, and cultural beliefs. The people in Germany, especially the Jews, were not given the right to have an opinion. The people in Germany had no privacy and were constantly being watched and separated by race. The use of Big Brother, a charismatic leader, helps to show the extreme totalitarian society that the book 1984 is occurring in. By having a totalitarian society, the characters are meant to feel like they are constantly being watched and that they lack privacy in their lives. In the book 1984, George Orwell uses the lack of privacy by creating a dystopian society to show the dangers of totalitarianism.
To start, Orwell creates a novel that is
…show more content…
As stated by Winston, "Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death”(Orwell 34). In this quote, we are revealed to the negative effects of the totalitarianism. We see that Winston and the other characters have no sense of privacy and are forced to believe what the Party wants the characters to know. Thoughtcrime is a crime that is committed by having unorthodox thoughts that are unacceptable to a society. Thoughtcrime is an example of the lack of privacy that people have in 1984. By not being able to think a certain thought or believe in a certain thing the people’s lack of privacy is demolished. The people have no privacy to do, think, or say what they want. Thoughtcrime is an example of why the lack of privacy shows the dangers of

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The Party has created an omniscient figure named Big Brother to “watch over” all the citizens of Oceania; they spy on everyone through telescreens. The Party aims to control the minds of the people, starting with the control of their language. Orwell writes, “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” (Orwell 52). One of the worst crimes that can be committed in Oceania is thoughtcrime, or thinking something against the Party.…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Totalitarian Society Over the history of the world there have been many different forms of government such as Totalitarianism, Monarchy, Republic, Communism and many others. One of the most widespread forms of government was Totalitarianism, though it is more rare today. Totalitarianism is a political system in which the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible. Totalitarianism has been shown in practically every country at some point with the exception of the United States and few other countries. Totalitarianism has been shown in real life,such as Nazism, but Totalitarianism is often shown in books, such as Anthem.…

    • 1141 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible. In 1948 , George Orwell presents his vision of dystopia , a world consisting of three total governed controlled states constantly at war with each other . Government constantly uses technological advancements in 1984 such as telescreens to keep party members under observation . When oppressed , one might revolt against government . Every aspect of society presented in 1948 is controlled due to having higher power , including the natural impulses of sex and love .…

    • 1023 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1984 The consequences of living with a totalitarian government has never been so clear before, having privacy is no longer a right you have. In the novel 1984, English novelist and journalist George Orwell, illustrates the alarming abusive nature of a totalitarian government, but even more so it 's penetrating analysis of the psychology of power and the ways that manipulation of language and history are used as mechanisms of control. Throughout the eye-catching novel, the author attempts to show what life would be like in a world of total evil, where those controlling the government kept themselves in power by mesmerizing the people generally. Winston Smith, an everyday man, is dissatisfied with how the political party conducts,…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the story 1984 George Orwell tries to warn us of the dangers that may be presented to everyone's society. This story gives the idea of people having no rights, intimate affairs, or to be able to love another individual. Anyone who had thoughts to overthrow their government, they would get spied on by the thought police if they seemed to be suspicious . Hitler took over people's freedom because they were scared and if the people feared him, he would have more strength to control them and if the public did not listen their lives would be at risk. If a person has become a dictator the government can also have the chance to take over us and make us do as they say.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1984 Totalitarian Regime

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In this novel, Orwell used the image of a man standing in a shadow that covered his face. This was to make him anonymous. This figure was called "Big Brother", and was placed on posters everywhere with the saying "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. " This was used to let the people know that no matter where they go, they could not escape omnipotent presence of government. "If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say this or that even, it never happened-that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death."…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A person truly cannot feel safe while being ‘protected’ by a government that cares for only themselves. There has been a long history of governmental greed that harks back to even the creation of humans since greed has been in our hearts since the very beginning. The exceptionally blunt example is Orwell’s novel “1984”, a clear depiction of a government’s power being misused in favor of their own aspirations. Orwell wrote this novel to express a truth in government and to predict the future that may come from totalitarianism. When a person compares “1984” to the history of man, it provides a distinct connection to one another by using common human actions and desires in a dark, truthful way.…

    • 1262 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    1984: Diving into Deeper Meanings Imagine a society where you are always being watched. You can’t think on your own, speak your mind, or even feel any type of emotion. In George Orwell’s 1984, he writes of a Dystopian society in Oceania that is basically under totalitarian rule.…

    • 2185 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    1984 And Technology Essay

    • 1834 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In the book, 1984, people were willing to do the same thing. They gave up their freedom of being secluded in order to be in good standings with the Party. The people of Oceania were constantly watched by a “telescreen”, which let the Party see what they were doing at all times. This prevented people from committing “thoughtcrime”. This leads into my first point, which is about different types of surveillance as mind control.…

    • 1834 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    In 1984, by George Orwell, Oceania citizen Winston Smith defies the totalitarian government he lives under as he grapples with doubt about his past and present. Totalitarian governments such as the one in 1984 have existed for years, and the frequency with which rulers even today seek total control of a nation can only be credited to humanity’s insatiable need to dominate and be all-powerful. Although no instance of totalitarianism has been identical to another, the nature of totalitarianism is so extreme that all totalitarian states, from Hitler’s Germany to Stalin’s Soviet Union, share a few principal characteristics. Among the most noteworthy, perhaps, is that all totalitarian governments have failed – there is simply too much to control…

    • 2259 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    This prevents the people from acknowledging their thoughts and how they perceived the past. Within 1984, Orwell displays how a futuristic society compares to a totalitarian society through the restrictions of the inner party by programs of individualism, a loss of privacy, and how the freedom of the people is minimized. A totalitarian society is a system of dictatorial changes in which the society is focused on the fixed ideas of the government’s control. Orwell illustrated how…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you” (19). “It was always at night—the arrests invariably happened at night” (19). These quotes explain how no one will get away with thoughtcrime and if they do they will be vaporized and their existence with be erased.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1984 Doublethink Analysis

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages

    At the end of 1984, Winston is subjected to weeks of “reeducation”, and he himself concludes that nothing is more potent than physical pain (Orwell, 276). By controlling the minds of their subjects, the Party is able to control reality itself. Crimespeak, Crimethink, and especially Newspeak are the natural corollaries of government- controlled thought. At the first level, thought-control is maintained by the two-way telescreens in every citizen’s room, through which the “Thought Police” can monitor every citizen at any time. At the next level the government is introducing a new language called “Newspeak”, the object of which is to make it impossible to express thoughts that would be considered undesirable to the authorities (Orwell, 52).…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Dangers of Totalitarianism Totalitarianism embodies the idea of an all-powerful government, with no limits on its authority. This eradicates an important part of humanity: free will. Without basic freedoms, humanity loses its individuality; an essential part of a successful society. George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 creates a world consumed by a totalitarian regime, which contravenes every aspect of government today. Oceania’s government is known as the Party, led by the mystical, omnipotent Big Brother.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Party Children In 1984

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Thoughts are an interesting concept from 1984. They can betray even the most loyal person to the party. It is hard to control thoughts inside one’s brain. It requires high levels of self-discipline. Some of that self-discipline comes from the fear of Big Brother and the Thought Police.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics