Similarities Between 1984 And The Establishment Of The Soviet Union

1984 and the Establishment of the Soviet Union Catherine M. Ricchiuti Our Lady of Mercy Academy

The dystopian 1984 novel written by George Orwell is an example of total government control. Orwell was inspired to write this novel based on the Spanish Revolution. However, the ideas illustrated throughout the novel can be juxtaposed with other historical events such as the establishment of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin was the totalitarian dictator of Russia and can be equated with Big Brother in 1984. The totalitarianism portrayed in the novel 1984 can be compared closely to the totalitarianism Russia endured under the rule of Joseph Stalin. George Orwell was inspired to write 1984 after World War II. World War II showed the true influence
The Inner Party is the ruling body of Oceania, which controls Big Brother. They make all the decisions without considering the consequences and how they will affect the proles, the lower class of Oceania. The government of Oceania, using Big Brother and the Party, exercises a totalitarian government, which means that one group controls everything. The Party controls everything, including culture, economics, the political system, and even relationships. They wanted control of the people’s minds, and for people to believe what they wanted them to believe. Inside prole homes, the Party installed televisions that showed propaganda and brainwashed the prole. The Party knew that the proles would be worried about their current societal problems so they have more “freedom” than the members of the Outer Party, the middle class. Even though the Outer Party was allowed to hold positions of trust in the government, they were not allowed to make the decisions. The Outer Party was under surveillance by Big Brother as well. Telescreens are in every Outer Party home. They constantly watched the Outer Party members and reminded them that “Big Brother is
Under Lenin, communism was instilled into Russia. Lenin led Russia until 1924 when he died, and then Joseph Stalin rose to power. Joseph Stalin was a pivotal figure in creating the Soviet Union and paving the way for the Cold War between Russia and the United States. Stalin changed the old communist ways established by Lenin and created a totalitarian government to set the way for the “perfect communist state”. Stalin was the new dictator of Russia and controlled everyone and everything. He invaded all the citizens’ privacy through his Secret Police. The Secret Police invaded all the citizens’ privacy and monitored telephone lines, read personal mail, and planted informers around every corner. He wanted his “perfect communist state” so badly he did not care about invading his citizen’s privacy. Everyone was so afraid of the Secret Police that they started to turn their family members who thought differently to the Secret Police. The police arrested and executed millions of “traitors.” Even though Stalin wanted a “perfect communist state,” he turned against the Communist Party in 1934. Stalin’s reign of terror in 1937, known