The Party in 1984, by George Orwell, represents an oligarchy, which has eliminated the fundamental characteristics of a democratic society. Through sheer determination of the Party and its unlimited omnipotent power, human spirit is crushed in the eradication of privacy, individuality, and freedom. These though, are the risks associated with totalitarianism.
“Totalitarianism is 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” (Encyclopædia Britannica). A person or group trying to create a totalitarian government has to establish it by systematically obliterating privacy, individuality, and basic freedom. In 1984, …show more content…
A great example of this would be the “Two Minutes Hate.” The program of the "Two Minutes Hate" bonds people in a unified emotion, overwhelming their distinct feelings, as they all express disgust for Goldstein, who is shown on the huge screen. Winston Smith describes it as “A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge-hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one's will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic” (Orwell 14). So swept away are the people in this amalgamated emotion that their hate turns to others before they leave the assembly. Moreover, this is all it took to keep the population from thinking about their struggles as an individual. This again is seen in modern day North Korea, where “Thousands of North Koreans have turned out for a mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader's call to arms. Chanting 'Death to the U.S. imperialists' and 'Sweep away the U.S. aggressors,' soldiers and students marched through Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang during a 90-minute rally.” (McDermott) Conditions in North Korea are so bad that some have compared it to “Nazi Germany” (Weber), but when they have rallies such as this it unifies the people just enough as to forget the horrible atrocities they face on a daily
“Totalitarianism is 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” (Encyclopædia Britannica). A person or group trying to create a totalitarian government has to establish it by systematically obliterating privacy, individuality, and basic freedom. In 1984, …show more content…
A great example of this would be the “Two Minutes Hate.” The program of the "Two Minutes Hate" bonds people in a unified emotion, overwhelming their distinct feelings, as they all express disgust for Goldstein, who is shown on the huge screen. Winston Smith describes it as “A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge-hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one's will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic” (Orwell 14). So swept away are the people in this amalgamated emotion that their hate turns to others before they leave the assembly. Moreover, this is all it took to keep the population from thinking about their struggles as an individual. This again is seen in modern day North Korea, where “Thousands of North Koreans have turned out for a mass rally at the main square in Pyongyang in support of their leader's call to arms. Chanting 'Death to the U.S. imperialists' and 'Sweep away the U.S. aggressors,' soldiers and students marched through Kim Il Sung Square in downtown Pyongyang during a 90-minute rally.” (McDermott) Conditions in North Korea are so bad that some have compared it to “Nazi Germany” (Weber), but when they have rallies such as this it unifies the people just enough as to forget the horrible atrocities they face on a daily