Totalitarianism

of Anthem, by Ayn Rand, and 1984, by George Orwell. Both books tell the struggle between the ideas of maintaining free will and hope in a harsh and oppressive government setting. While both authors would agree about the negative consequences totalitarianism brings, and that there will always be people who challenge the ideas behind a totalitarian government. The two authors would argue as if people could actually successfully overthrow a totalitarian government. With Ayn Rand supporting it, and…

Throughout the 20th century, totalitarianism was the most dominant government in Europe. Absolute is defined as control by the state or a governing branch of a highly centralized institution. There are eight concepts to totalitarianism, one being single party dictatorship. Others include state control of economy, absolute loyalty,education of youth, and most importantly terrorism, secret police,propaganda, and censorship. Three leaders who displayed totalitarianism are Mussolini, Hitler, and…

For many, totalitarianism is a mere idea; an extinct myth associated with horror movies or a history class syllabus. It is not widely understood just how real the threat of totalitarian rule is in our world. Furthermore, what does a true totalitarian society really mean? While the word has the capability to set a certain fear coursing through one’s body, the true definition is often taboo and muddled in stories and rumors, if not dismissed altogether. In the book 1984 by George Orwell, the…

to seize the human soul", resonates with Orwell’s 1984 in describing the atrocities of a totalitarian nation present in Orwell’s imagined utopia, Oceania. In his critically esteemed novel, 1984, George Orwell creates a perverse utopia in which totalitarianism thrives and the ruling power vanquishes the social rights of civilians. The dystopian novel follows Winston, the thirty-six-year old protagonist of the story, and his journey to survive under the Party’s rule in London. The nominal leader…

The novel, 1984, written by George Orwell, depicts a totalitarian society in which citizens live under the strict government control of “The Party” and are not allowed to think or act as individuals. Winston, the main character, finds it extremely difficult to live under what he feels is unfair oppression. He is bold enough to secretly question the morality of the current society and seek freedom from the government injustices. This sets him apart from other characters in the novel. The…

The fascist Norsefire government in V for Vendetta maintained complete control over its denizens by preventing the people from speaking out or expressing any form of opinion. This dystopian society was ruled by a government who strived to uphold complete authoritarian control through its usage of various oppressive tools such as monitoring the conversations and actions of its denizens. A terrorist figure named V appeared to rise as a symbol of hope to eradicate this oppression by physically…

monitored for betrayal of the government, also known as Thoughtcrime. Through people on the streets and devices known as telescreens, the government watches every movement, every word, every decision a person makes. Surrounding this concept of totalitarianism and Thoughtcrime is the idea that the government often manipulates and constructs the memories of a person, explaining some of the narrative improbabilities in the novel. This also strips the individuality of a person away, simply making…

The Dangers of Totalitarianism A period marked by two World Wars, the Russian Revolution, and the Spanish Civil War, resulted in an unstable society oppressed by horror and despair. In the midst of chaos Europe’s dilapidated cities, ruptured economies, and tyrannical governments, became the catalyst for the Modernist movement. During the early half of the 1940s, editiors’ Jame G. Ryan and Leonard Schlup explain in Historical Dictionary of the 1940s, Modern Europe had been heavily subjected to…

surveillance by BIG BROTHER and throughout the novel the reader witnesses Winston’s struggles against the government that controls the ideas and thoughts of its citizens. As the reader comes to understand through Winston’s eyes, the dangers of totalitarianism, George Orwell conveys the theme that “freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows” (81). At the very beginning of the novel Winston gives us…

Totalitarianism is a concept rooted in the horror of modern war, revolution, terror, genocide, and, since 1945, the threat of nuclear annihilation. It is also among the most versatile and contested terms in the political lexicon. At its simplest, the idea suggests that despite Fascist/Nazi "particularism" (the centrality of the nation or the master race) and Bolshevist "universalism" (the aspiration toward a classless, international brotherhood of man), both regimes were basically alike—which,…