George Orwell 1984 Similarities

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Governmental Similarities and Inspiration for 1984 George Orwell’s novel 1984 is a premonition of what Orwell believed the world would become if it continued on its present course. Orwell wrote this novel during a very dangerous and controversial time period, and he seemed very dissatisfied with the world he was living in: “I write… because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention” (Orwell). There were plenty of attention-worthy topics and many lies to be exposed during Orwell’s lifetime. In addition to the major events which occurred, such as the rise of the Soviet Union, he had many negative experiences which furthered his opinion that the world was headed down a dark and gloomy path. He reflected …show more content…
One Inner Party member, O’Brien, states that “who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past” (Orwell 248). The Party believes that it always has to appear to be right about everything to maintain the absolute loyalty of its citizens. Therefore, if anything ever happens that contradicts any statement or prediction the Party has made, the Ministry of Truth edits the records to make it seem as if the Party had never been incorrect. The people are scared enough of being vaporized or of being sent to a labor camp that they do not argue against this, and they soon brainwash themselves into believing that the false records are accurate. However, instead of using their power to repay their citizens for their loyalty, “the Party seeks power entirely for its own sake...The object of power is power” (Orwell 263). Although their economy was suffering greatly, the Inner Party members enjoyed many luxuries such as access to wine, real coffee, and real chocolate. Meanwhile, people in the Outer Party did not have access to sufficient food and often struggled to find necessary everyday items such as razor blades. This makes it apparent that the …show more content…
For many years, the Soviet Union was governed by Joseph Stalin. Stalin was idolized by many people, especially after Soviet victories against the German Nazis during World War II (Joseph Stalin). Similarly to Big Brother, Stalin had the complete loyalty of the Russian people, despite the many atrocities he committed. He made just enough changes that seemed to benefit the people to gain their unswerving support. However, Stalin was not at all caring or compassionate. He even abandoned his own son when he was captured by the Germans (Joseph Stalin). Just like in 1984, traits such as love and compassion were not prominent in the Soviet Union. Incidents such as Stalin’s abandonment of his son discouraged these traits. Instead, fear and repression reigned. After rising to power, Stalin made many changes in Russia that greatly affected the people. Those who opposed him were either executed or sent to work in labor camps; those who were left behind refrained from freely expressing themselves for fear of meeting the same fate (Joseph Stalin). This aspect of the Soviet Union is reflected in 1984 by the threat of vaporization or being sent to labor camps for crimes against the Party. These crimes could have been the simplest, silliest things, but if the Party or Stalin thought that the person could potentially become a threat, they issued severe
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