Nineteen Eighty-Four - Totalitarianism

Finish the quote:

“Big Brother is…

watching you”

Finish the quote:

“the Ministry of Love,…

which maintained law and order”

Finish the quote:

“It was always at night - the arrests invariably happened at night. The sudden…

jerk out of sleep, the rough hand shaking your shoulder, the lights glaring in your eyes, the ring of hard faces around the bed”

Finish the quote:

“Room…

101”

Finish the quote:

“We convert him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him. We…

burn all evil and illusion out of him; we bring him over to our side”

Finish critic Podhoretz’s statement about totalitarianism:

“Orwell’s ruling passion was the…

fear and hatred of totalitarianism”

Finish critic Lynch’s statement about totalitarianism:

“Stalin and Big Brother share…

many similarities”

Finish critic Huxley’s statement about totalitarianism:

“The ruling oligarchy will find less…

arduous and wasteful ways of governing”

What context can be used to support this?

World War Two had just finished, Leon Trotsky was assassinated and cults of personality.

What can be said about World War Two just finishing?

• In Europe: Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945, after Hitler’s suicide and the fall of Berlin. VE Day was celebrated on May 8. 

• In the Pacific: Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The formal surrender occurred on September 2. 

Aftermath: 

• Over 70 million deaths, widespread destruction, and cities like Berlin and Hiroshima in ruins. 

• The U.S. and Soviet Union emerged as superpowers, leading to the Cold War. 

• The United Nations was formed in October 1945 to promote peace. 

• Economic rebuilding began, including the Marshall Plan for Europe. 

Social Impact: 

• Decolonization accelerated as European empires weakened. 

• Women’s expanded workforce roles laid groundwork for future equality movements. 

• Art and literature reflected on the war’s trauma and moral lessons. 

What can be said about Trotsky’s assassination?

Leon Trotsky, a key figure in the Russian Revolution and a rival to Joseph Stalin, was assassinated on August 21, 1940, in Mexico City. After being exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929 due to his opposition to Stalin’s policies, Trotsky continued to criticize Stalin’s regime from abroad. Stalin saw him as a major threat and sent agents to eliminate him. 

Trotsky was attacked in his home by Ramón Mercader, a Soviet agent, who struck him in the head with an ice axe. Trotsky died the following day from his wounds. His assassination was part of Stalin’s broader effort to eliminate rivals and consolidate his totalitarian rule. 

What can be said about cults of personality?

A cult of personality refers to a situation where a public figure, often a political leader, is excessively glorified and idolized through propaganda, media, and state-sponsored efforts to create a larger-than-life image. Examples between 1946-1949 are Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union, Mao Zedong in China, and Kim Il-sung in North Korea. These leaders were portrayed as embodying the ideals of their nations, often blurring the line between the leader and the state itself. 

Such cults can distort reality, concentrate power, and undermine democratic institutions by fostering blind loyalty and discouraging critical thinking among citizens. The phenomenon is not limited to politics—it can also appear in other domains, such as celebrity culture or corporate leadership.