GEORGE ORWELL AND CONCEPT OF TOTALITARIANISM

English 1.1

Submitted by

Ayush Dwivedi

Submitted to

Mrs. Aparajita Dutta Hazarika

UID- SM0116012

1st year, 1st Semester

National Law University, Assam

 TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction
1.1 Overview

1.2 Literature Review

1.3 Research Problem

1.4 Scope and Objective

1.5 Research Question

1.6 Research Methodology

2. Chapterisation
2.1 Study of novel Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell.

2.2 The rise of totalitarian government after world war 1st.

2.3 Education in Animal Farm.

2.4 Relevancy of Animal Farm in today’s world.

3. Aspects of totalitarianism.

3.1 Positive aspect of totalitarianism.

3.2 Negative aspect of totalitarianism.

4. Conclusion.
5. Bibliography.

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 1. Introduction

1.1 Overview
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), who used the pen name George Orwell,
was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is marked by explicit prose,
familiarity of social prejudice and opposition to totalitarianism and outspoken support
of democratic socialism.

This is a repressive, unfree form of society. We are living in a democracy, the place the
people have a say and elect officers. The reverse is totalitarianism: a totalitarian society is
ordinarily ruled by way of a dictator, and there may be little or no or no freedom. In
totalitarianism, the government controls just about each side of life. Totalitarianism a
contemporary autocratic government where the state entails itself in all sides of society,
including the everyday lifetime of its citizens. A totalitarian government seeks to control now not
simplest all financial and political matters but the attitudes, values, and beliefs of its populace,
erasing the distinction between state and society. The citizen's duty to the state turns into the
major problem of the group, and the intention of the state is the substitute of current society with
a excellent society.

Quite a lot of totalitarian systems, nevertheless, have one of kind ideological goals. For instance,
of the states most more often than not described as totalitarian—the Soviet Union below Stalin,
Nazi Germany, and the humans's Republic of China underneath Mao—the Communist regimes
of the Soviet Union and China sought the common achievement of humankind by means of the
establishment of a classless society (see communism); German country wide Socialism, on the
other hand, attempted to set up the superiority of the so-called Aryan race.

The rationale behind researcher work is that totalitarianism is the principle that gives power to
the government, the army and the political parties. It does not allow one single character or
single to control overall policies of the government. Nazi Germany is an illustration of
totalitarianism being used to influence a nation. Hitler was a charismatic man who had the
majority of his country convinced to follow along with his beliefs. In words of George Orwell ‘if
totalitarianism is not fought against then it will triumph again.’ In the following research,
researcher tries to analyse views of George Orwell on totalitarianism and pros and cons of
totalitarianism.

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1.2 Literature review

1. Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

This novel helped the researcher in a clear understanding about totalitarianism and its
characteristics. The novel gives us a warning about what might happen and thus to make
people vigilant so that they can assure that their government is not functioning at his own
will. This book states that in a totalitarian regime, working class is always suppressed by
elite class.
2. Animal Farm by George Orwell
This novel tells us the importance of being educated and thus tells the utility of education
in our society. This book suggests that in a society where elite class has access to
resources there will be a suppresstion of working class. Thus education is most important
for all groups of society and if it is not so then the working class will suffer.

1.3 Research Problem

The present paper tries to analyze the concept of totalitarianism and political views of George
Orwell on totalitarianism and his rebellion and class struggle against totalitarianism.

1.4 Objective
 To study and analyze the works of George Orwell against totalitarianism.
 To study and analyze the totalitarian regime of Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler.
 Challenges of totalitarianism.

1.4 Research question-

1-What is effect of the curse of totalitarianism?

2- What is meaning the of totalitarianism?
3-What are characteristics of totalitarianism?

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4-What is the meaning of totalitarian state?

1.6 Research methodology

The researcher conducted mixed type of methodology. Researcher conducted Doctrinal type of
research to collect proper data and gather appropriate information. The use of library sources and
internet sources has greatly supplemented the research. Various books pertaining to the subject
have been immensely helpful in guiding the research.Researcher also conducted the Empirical
research for collecting the data of daily time spending on social networking sites.

To ensure a quality study of the subject matter, the researcher collected the Secondary type of
data. Though primary data is very valuable and precious; still the importance of the secondary
data cannot be overlooked. So, the researcher collected secondary data through various books,
articles, journals and other sources.

2.1 Study of novel 1984 authored by George Orwell

Orwell wrote 1984 because at that point of time governments were moving towards

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totalitarianism. This caused anxiety for him that through this; governments might start taking
away fundamental rights of people and suppress them. To draw the attention of people towards
the negative aspects of such totalitarian regime, he wrote 1984.Orwell wrote 1984 as a warning
against the perils of totalitarian governments. The novel 1984 highlights the impact of such
political regime on the development of language.
Orwell uses Newspeak to make society understand the extremes of thought control but it
contains significant message for people living under all types of government: that language is a
conducive in defining our liberation and freedom and we must allow those in power to
manipulate it.
Newspeak: Newspeak is the fictional language within the novel Nineteen Eighty-four,
written by George Orwell. It's a controlled language created through the totalitarian state Oceania
as a instrument to limit freedom of notion, and ideas that pose a threat to the regime similar to
freedom, self-expression, individuality, and peace.
“In a free society’’, wrote the french philosopher Montesquieu, “It is not always important
that individuals reason well, it is sufficient that they reason, from their individual thought,
freedom is born.’’ Two centuries later after this thought of Montesquieu, George Orwell in 1984
gave a pathetic illustration of what the world would be without the freedom to think. Orwell
want to call this book “The Last Man in Europe’’ as a salvo to the essential quality that differ
man from the world around him.
1984 is a political statement. It contains no predictive declaration, only a warning to society.
He often professed that 1984 might happen if man did not revolt against the oppressors who are
taking away his fundamental rights. Orwell tried to tell that powerful governments will abuse
and misuse their power. When individuals get power, “They have no intention to relinquish
power.’’ Totalitarian governments in 1984, would go to absolute extreme lengths to preserve and
develop their power and would go as far as continuously monitoring contributors for any signs of
disobedience and torture the ones who rebelled. It is amazing that 1984- a novel with machines
similar to computers, with futuristic dreadnought battleships and missiles was written in 1949, a
time when computer systems failed to exist and science akin to missiles had been barely begun to
be researched. Orwell evidently pictured in his intellect the severe risks of totalitarianism and
wrote to inform the hazards to his readers. What is also terrific is that the date 1984 is most
effective 35 years ahead from 1949 (when it was written), which means that the dystopian and

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 ruined world of 1984 might almost certainly come to be a fact in one of these brief time within
the near future. George Orwell naturally described the social injustice and acts of tyranny in his
novel. Lots of them were additionally heavily exaggerated to the point where having a thought of
disobedience could be punished with the aid of dying. Although many aspects had been
exaggerated in his novel, researcher think that these exaggerations had been very strong in
providing the message Orwell meant.1 People conveniently understood the meaning of Orwell's
message, and subsequently puzzled about having a dystopian world virtually. George Orwell was
effective in giving the message.
So the book is kind of a warning about what might happen and a call for people to be careful
so they can make sure that they are not letting their government to move in this direction.2

2.2 The rise of totalitarian government after world war 1st

1
George Orwell,’’ Animal Farm”
2
George Orwell, “Nineteen Eighty Four”

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Many countries faced a number of problems after world war 1st .Such as unemployment (as
soldiers returning home) and weak economic conditions. The economy of Germany was
devastated by the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty later gave rise to World War 2. The depression
would also begin in 1929, additional exacerbating these issues. In this economic system, a
number of participants and events rose up promising a quantity of options to their issues which
appealed to the plenty finally catapulting them into power. In Germany, Adolf Hitler and the
Nazis eventually rose to energy by way of promising to restore the nation to greatness. In Italy,
Benito Mussolini and his Fascists promised the identical thing years earlier, forcing their policy
into executive by means of ousting the prior high minister. Under their regulation the
governments of Germany and Italy finally grew to be dictatorships as power was once
centralized right into a single party. The three main dictators to arise in Europe within the decade
or so after the primary World battle were Benito Mussolini in Italy, Joseph Stalin within the
Soviet Union and Adolf Hitler in Germany. These men rose to power basically considering that
their countries had in some way been made unhappy by the outcome of that war.
When Mussolini came to power, his rise was connected in part to the world war. In the Treaty of
Versailles, the Italians had not gotten what they had been promised after they entered the war.
This upset them generally and ended in nationalist sentiment. The battle additionally helped to
disrupt the economic system and society, opening the best way for clash that ended in the upward
thrust of the fascists. Hitler’s rise was much more clearly connected to WWI. The Treaty of
Versailles had punished Germany harshly. Hitler’s rise was affirm on rousing German anger at
this treatment and at the alleged “stab in the back” that caused Germany to lose WWI. His Nazi
ideology was able to capitalize on those emotions.3

3
http://openstudy.com/study#/updates/4f18c0a2e4b04992dd21c1de

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 The following factors contributed to the rise of totalitarianism in Europe
between 1929-39:

1. The Treaty of Versailles greatly disenchanted Italy. Although Italy fought on the facet of the
victors she might not achieve whatever had been promised to her during the conflict. The
opposite hand. Italy faced 'poverty, discontent and disorder.'
2. The effective bid with the aid of America and different European powers to curb the developing
power of Japan with the aid of imposing restrictions on her navy and ambitions in China, by way
of the Washington convention of 1921-22 was exploited by the military leaders in Japan to bring
discredit to the democratic executive and establish a totalitarian rule in Japan.
3. In Russia the Communist leaders were decided to spread communism all over the world. They
crushed all the anti-innovative forces within the nation with firm hand and tried to advertise
communism in different countries of world through resorting to all types of methods.4

4
http://www.preservearticles.com/2011091413406/what-are-the-main-causes-for-rise-of-totalitarianism-in-
europe.html

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2.3 Education in Animal Farm

George Orwell in 1946 wrote one of the most insightful books of all time named as Animal
Farm. This book contains a story which is said to reflect the Russian revolution. George Orwell
tries to emphasize the utility of education through Animal Farm. The story in this novel revolves
around the disasters that fall upon uneducated animals. They face these disasters because they
are uneducated. They put blind faith in the other animals who were smarter than them and those
smarter animals had privilege of deciding each and everything, even the mode of living of other
animals. The uneducated animals were forced to believe something that which was not true at the
end. This is because those animals were unable to read and write and hence they followed
smarter animals blindly. Through this novel George Orwell also discusses about dictatorship. In
the novel, Napoleon becomes the dictator and only he controls whole farm. No one has courage
to challenge his decisions. Even those animals did not know the pros and cons of the decisions
but they were forced to follow. It is often seen that where an elite group or class has access to
resources that the masses do not, there elite class or group start the exploitation of those masses.

The underlying message of Animal Farm is that firstly, education is important for whole society
and if it is not so then the society is stratified resulting into the mass suffering.

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Relevancy of Animal Farm in today’s world

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2.4 Relevancy of Animal Farm in today’s world
The novel remains relevant to today's society as we still see how some cannot hold power
without the temptation to abuse it, however virtuous their original motives may be. Far and
wide the world, political speech is strategized, honed, and subtle in this type of means as to
rob language of its natural means. This is not authentic all over and now not proper always,
however there is a specified tendency to take ownership of language (in commerce and
politics) in a way that can be called abusive and which ends up in confusion and dishonesty
even as facilitating knowledge corruption.

This is not a conspiracy theory. It’s a view of language where we see, as in Animal Farm, that
language can be used to hide as good as it may be used to explain or uncover.
It is true that Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

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 3.1 Positive aspects of totalitarianism

1. Totalitarianism gives a strong and stable government as there is no place for opposition, criticism
and hence state is able to achieve its goals very quickly.
2. It provides quick and active administration. It is believed that totalitarian governments are far
ahead from democratic governments. This happens because dictatorship does not believe in
discussion and debates. As the ruling party has absolute power and sovereignty, party takes
active and prompt decisions.
3. As there is no opposition, they adopt such policies which are most beneficial for the society.
Efficient and competent people are appointed to perform such jobs so that state can achieve its
goals quickly.
4. Germany, as an example was once in foremost debt to many countries instantly following WWI,
this was once authentic since they have been anticipated to pay reparations (money owed to
different international locations from damages for the duration of war) and have been out of
cash. The whole nation went down the tube very quickly after and had problem providing for its
citizens.
5. Totalitarian government has authority to change laws, economic system, and the everything that
is hindering path of country in order to make country best. Such type of governments can calm
dispute between political organisations as there is only one party in the power. Totalitarian
government can make people to feel proud about their nation.

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 Negative aspects of totalitarianism

1. One disadvantage is that just one party is in power which means that that individual or his group
strategies on legislation and govt need to be accredited without query. Here no one has right to
challenge the command of the supreme authority and doing so such type of governments
suppress the poor and scheduled caste of the society in order to maintain their power.
2. This also leads to a different drawback; persons do not have political freedoms. Lack of political
freedoms abolishes the voice of the society. This means that if the ruler does not have the high-
quality interest of the people in mind they have got no capability in enacting alterations in how
they are ruled and policed.
3. Third and probably the most important drawback, is that no person's freedoms exist. Seeing that
the humans in a totalitarian executive are under the control of their ruler, they will lose any
freedoms, reminiscent of the freedom of speech that they will have had previously.

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Conclusion

Researcher finally concluded that a political system where whole system is governed and
controlled by a single unit or party and where no one dares to question the policies of
government is known as totalitarian state. Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Soviet Union under
Joseph Stalin are main examples of totalitarian government. Though there are many
characteristics in common of a totalitarian government but there are two most important
characteristics.

1. There exist an ideology which address all aspects of life and gives a blueprint to attain its goal
promptly. People are mobilized to collect energy by a single party.

2. Dissent is systematically suppressed and persons terrorized by police. Autocracies by way of

the a long time have tried to activity manage over the lives of their subjects, by using anything
approach had been available to them, together with the usage of secret police and military drive.
Nonetheless, most effective with brand new technology have governments bought the means to
manipulate society; hence, totalitarianism is, historically, a latest phenomenon.5

5
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/totalitarianism-characteristics.html

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