Totalitarianism in 1984
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Totalitarianism is a system of government in which one political party has complete authority and control. "This one-party regime [is] concerned with the 'total' activities of its peopletheir work, their leisure, their religion, and even their private lives" (Totalitarianism). The citizens have no freedom whatsoever and if they ever show anything other than complete devotion to the party they put their lives in great peril. "Party control is solidified through information control and censorship, a paramilitary secret police organization, and the institution of community groups (such as youth or cultural organizations)" (Yousef ). Although there has never been a completely totalitarian state, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Communist Russia came very close. In his novel, 1984, George Orwell criticized all these totalitarian governments. His futuristic nation, Oceania, takes totalitarianism to its extreme. Characteristics that make the Party of Oceania a totalitarian government include its use of brainwashing techniques, scapegoats, and Newspeak.
The chief method that the Party uses to obtain complete power over its citizens is brainwashing. This is used to make the people believe that the party is the ultimate good and anything against the Party is the ultimate evil...