“1984" vs. Nazi Germany
I have always been fascinated with Adolf Hitler and World War II. It seems that throughout my education and lifetime, the topic of how Hitler’s Germany almost ruled the entire world was constantly mentioned in conversations, books, movies, or television programs. After reading George Orwell’s “1984" I saw that there were big similarities between the town of Oceiana and Nazi Germany. Both types of government were extremely similar; in 1984as well as in Nazi Germany, they killed and vaporized people with no remorse and had no respect for humanity. Therefore, when I read the quote, “it is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure,” I immediately thought of Nazi Germany. Hitler’s evil drive for success clearly proved this quote to be true and shows that hatred and fear can’t in fact create a stable civilization.
The Nazi’s ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 when Germany surrendered and admitted defeat in their war of aggression, World War II. This was similar to the war that Oceiana was involved in throughout the book. Also, many German’s were taken to and killed at the concentration camps, just like Winston, along with many others, were taken to the Ministry of Love to be “taken care of.” In the book as well as in Germany there were no rights granted to citizens and freedom was merely a thought. Moreover, many children had to work at young ages and did not learn the proper skills in order to read or write. In the fictional Oceiana, children were also not allowed books and they were taken away because The Party was afraid that people would become too smart and try to overthrow the government. People in both of these countries were treated as slaves and humanity seemed completely outside the realm of possibility.
Now, it is a known fact that Adolf Hitler was one of the 20th century’s most powerful dictators. He was responsible for World War II and the death of millions. Hitler saw a nation in despair and used this as an
The Nazi’s ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 when Germany surrendered and admitted defeat in their war of aggression, World War II. This was similar to the war that Oceiana was involved in throughout the book. Also, many German’s were taken to and killed at the concentration camps, just like Winston, along with many others, were taken to the Ministry of Love to be “taken care of.” In the book as well as in Germany there were no rights granted to citizens and freedom was merely a thought. Moreover, many children had to work at young ages and did not learn the proper skills in order to read or write. In the fictional Oceiana, children were also not allowed books and they were taken away because The Party was afraid that people would become too smart and try to overthrow the government. People in both of these countries were treated as slaves and humanity seemed completely outside the realm of possibility.
Now, it is a known fact that Adolf Hitler was one of the 20th century’s most powerful dictators. He was responsible for World War II and the death of millions. Hitler saw a nation in despair and used this as an
Citations: * Adolf Hitler." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler.html>. * Adolf Hitler." Spartacus Educational - Home Page. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhitler.htm>. * Adolf Hitler." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 01 Mar. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler>.