Stalin and 1984
Mechanisms of Control In George Orwell's 1984, the strategies used by Oceania's "Party" to achieve total control over the population are similar to the ones emplaced by Joseph Stalin during his reign. Indeed, the tactics used by Oceania's "Party" truly depicts the brutal totalitarian society of Stalin's Russia. In making a connection between Stalin's Russia and Big Brothers' Oceania, each party implements a psychological and physical manipulation over society by controlling the information and the language with the help of technology. In fact, many features of Orwell's imaginary super-state Oceania are ironic translations from Stalin's Russia. In Oceania, the "Party" mainly uses technology as the chief ingredient to implement a psychological manipulation over society by controlling the information they receive. An example of this is the big screen television set up in every person's home, and the poster all over the city. The giant "telescreen" in every citizen's room blasts a constant stream of propaganda designed to make the failures and short successes of the Party appear to be glorious. In Winston Smith's apartment, this "instrument" is always on spouting propaganda and constantly brain washing the peoples' mind. In actual fact, "It could [only be] dimmed
there [is] no way of shutting it off". In doing this, the "Party" is in complete control over the citizens' mind, blasting Salazar 2 what they want each individual to think (p.6). They psychologically stimulate each individuals mind, limiting their ability to think and have a mind of their own. In a similar way, Stalin's created "The Poster" and The Pravda (the Russian newspaper controlled by the government during Joseph Stalin's regime) to twist and manipulate the minds of people into believing that what they were saying was absolutely right and truth. Using this power, Stalin
Cited: Basgen Brian. Soviet History. Brooks, Jeffrey. Thank You Comrade Stalin! Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey, 2000 Orwell, George. 1984. Signet Classics, New York, New York. July 1950 Russia Under Stalin. May 2002.