Propaganda in 1984
I. WAR IS PEACE
I. WAR IS PEACE
Perhaps the most prevalent and
paradoxical motto of Big Brother, “War is Peace” is Oceania’s entire
justification for the war they are currently fighting. In using this slogan,
the Ministry of Peace, Minipax, creates a double illusion when it comes to battle;
the war is not only for peace, it is peace in and of itself. In
equating war with peace, the Government propagates the idea that without war,
true peace would never exist. The citizens of Oceania recognize that they are
in a midst of war, but as Goldstein illustrates in his book, it is a perpetual
war that has no beginning and will likely have no end.
In keeping the country in a state of
constant warfare, the government is better able to control the actions of its
citizens through giving them a common enemy sacred in its ability to command
hatred. Citizens thus have an external cause of their economic and social
dissatisfactions. Fighting an outside enemy also enables the government to gain
sympathy from its citizens, as its frequent use of unsubstantiated reports of
success further convinces the people of Oceania that the war is
real and being won by Insoc. The government’s struggle with the war is not
across Oceania’s borders, however; rather, it is within the country itself.
Hence the vitality of propaganda in the perpetual war;— it is a tool to
convince citizens that they resources they work to create are being disposed to
make the people themselves safe. This keeps the Proles in poverty and at the
mercy of the Miniplenty. Like the use of Nazi propaganda during World War
II, Insoc propaganda serves the primary function of creating an external enemy
for citizens to blame and hate and a gives the government a purpose for its
actions.
II. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
By using classic examples of doublethink in their slogans, Big Brother succeeds in convincing the people of Insoc that what they have is exactly the same as what they want. In equating freedom with slavery, the citizens are convinced that any move towards liberation would only enslave them, a concept recognized as dreadful but not recognized as their current state. This line of propaganda uses the implicit parallel of “oppression is liberty” to spread the idea that they have reached the pinnacle of perfection in society, and the status quo should not be questioned.
III. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The greatest threat to the government of Insoc is truth. The Ministry of Truth, Minitru, which employs protagonist Winston to change the country’s history and spread lies, is charged with ensuring that the citizens of Insoc are kept in a state of ignorance and deception. The government is built on a foundation of unquestionable superiority, and it does not have the strength or legitimacy to withstand suspicion. Building off the fundamental Lockean theory of “Consent of the Governed”, originally proposed in John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, the government recognizes that they will cease to have power should the will of the citizens turn against them—in their most fundamental form, the citizens of Insoc build the government that oppresses them, working for it, providing it with the necessities of its function. Based on the perception of infallibility, a perception spread to the citizens with the promises of safety carried in the “Big Brother is Watching You” posters, the government works hard to maintain that any weakness, especially knowledge, is to be punished in their society. As he later encapsulated, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Famous Uses of Propaganda:
> DIMITRI MOOR: RUSSIA, 1917–1921
> Nazi antisematic propaganda: Germandy, 1930’s
> PHILLIP ZEC: ENGLAND, 1930. Anti-nazi, pro-women’s war efforts
> United States and “Uncle Sam” recruitment posters
II. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
By using classic examples of doublethink in their slogans, Big Brother succeeds in convincing the people of Insoc that what they have is exactly the same as what they want. In equating freedom with slavery, the citizens are convinced that any move towards liberation would only enslave them, a concept recognized as dreadful but not recognized as their current state. This line of propaganda uses the implicit parallel of “oppression is liberty” to spread the idea that they have reached the pinnacle of perfection in society, and the status quo should not be questioned.
III. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The greatest threat to the government of Insoc is truth. The Ministry of Truth, Minitru, which employs protagonist Winston to change the country’s history and spread lies, is charged with ensuring that the citizens of Insoc are kept in a state of ignorance and deception. The government is built on a foundation of unquestionable superiority, and it does not have the strength or legitimacy to withstand suspicion. Building off the fundamental Lockean theory of “Consent of the Governed”, originally proposed in John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, the government recognizes that they will cease to have power should the will of the citizens turn against them—in their most fundamental form, the citizens of Insoc build the government that oppresses them, working for it, providing it with the necessities of its function. Based on the perception of infallibility, a perception spread to the citizens with the promises of safety carried in the “Big Brother is Watching You” posters, the government works hard to maintain that any weakness, especially knowledge, is to be punished in their society. As he later encapsulated, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Famous Uses of Propaganda:
> DIMITRI MOOR: RUSSIA, 1917–1921
> Nazi antisematic propaganda: Germandy, 1930’s
> PHILLIP ZEC: ENGLAND, 1930. Anti-nazi, pro-women’s war efforts
> United States and “Uncle Sam” recruitment posters
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