1984: the Party Controls the Past, Present, and Future

In the book "1984" by George Orwell, the Party controls the past, present, and future as they alter historical records and effectively brainwash the population. A character in this book named Julia says, "It's the one thing they can't do. They can make you say anything—anything—but they can't make you believe it. They can't get inside you," to her boyfriend Winston. The thought that the Party cannot change your feelings seemed to comfort Winston, as if that isn't something he should know for himself without being told. That is how clueless and brainwashed all the members of the Party in this book are. These characters are completely controlled physically and mentally by a totalitarian government. The Party constantly watches all citizens for any sign of rebellion or thought-crime, and at the same time tries to appear kind and concerned rather than ruthless and invasive.
Love is a clear antithesis to everything the Party stands and is almost a character itself the way it so thoroughly needles its way through a lot of characters' lives. Winston's health for example has improved since having someone to care for and talk to. Love binds him and Julia in a way that cannot possibly be broken by the Party and its twisted Ministry of Love. Winston equates the ability to feel love with the essence of being human, and believing this immutable, starts to feel more positively that in the end, he and Julia and anyone who loves will prevail. Basically, if you really believe in yourself, you will see past all the governments' thought controlling ways.
There are so many different ways that George Orwell shows us the Party brainwashing its followers. The face of Big Brother is used to promote the ideal man, one who is tall and muscular living in a perfect world. Big Brother represents Stalin, Lenin, and Hitler. All three were totalitarian figures who frightened all as the world saw the horror of their powers. Posters of these men were hung all over their countries to give the effect that you could not escape their presence, just like the posters all over Oceania in 1984 with the saying "Big Brother is watching" on the bottom. These posters created this illusion they were always being watched, which in most cases they were. One of the most important ways that the Party keeps citizens under surveillance and in line is through the telescreens. They are found in all rooms belonging to Party members, and in public places. No one knows how often the Thought Police tap into any individual wire, no one knows whether someone is actually watching them, but they are always there. The party also holds two-minute of hate session where Party members are shown gruesome images their people getting bombed and faces of people the are told to hate and the film altogether does nothing but strike fear into the people watching it, which is the intention of the Party. In George Orwell's "1984," the character Julia really, truly believes that the very controlling Party that ruled all can't make anyone believe anything. They can and will make us do or say anything, but what we believe is what we believe. Julia is very young compared to Winston. She is a child of the Party, she never knew what freedom was, so it is surprising that she is making this statement and not Winston.