Context - 1984 Flashcards
Oppressive Regimes
What was stalins nickname?
1984
- The prevelance of totalitarianism in 1984 is strongly influnced by the oppressive regimes of Hitler, Stalin and Fransisco Francio.
- Big Brother’s iconic face is an accumulation of all these dictators. “The black-moustached face gazed down from every commanding corner”.
- The fraternal name is remenicient of Stalin’s nickname: “uncle Joe”
There are four:
What are the similarities between Stalin, Hitler and Big Brother?
1984
- Airbrushed documents and historical falsification
- Huge posters of himself
- Midnight purges
- Biased trials and courts
What was the nickname for people who participated in the mutual surveillance?
1984
‘Whisperers’
Stalin’s regime relied heavily on “mutual surveillance,” urging families to report on each other in communal living spaces and report “disloyalty.” Many people did what they could to survive, but they dealt with shame and guilt long after Stalin’s reign.
This is just like in 1984 when children are encouraged to spy on their parents.
Now in the modern world, North Korean’s are encouraged to report their neighbors.
Who burnt books?
THT & 1984
The Nazis burnt books that disagreed with their ideaology.
Where did Orwell’s wife work during the war? How might this have affected what he put in 1984?
1984
George Orwell’s wife worked for the ministry of information in the second world war.
This may have given Orwell the idea for Winston Smith’s job.
Ministry of information did a lot of the propaganda for the country.
Which dictator insisted on approving products?
1984
Stalinist Russia insisted on approving all products.
In Nineteen Eighty-Four the Victory brand is prominent and can be seen everywhere.
Victory cigarettes, victory gin
Stalin ‘erased’ a lot of his political opponents. Name one and the similarity between Big Brother and Stalin:
1984
Stalin killed political opponents, noticeably Trotsky (a communist revolutionist). This is similar to Big Brother hanging anyone who commits thought crime against him.
How did George Orwell come up with the idea of room 101?
1984
Room 101 is reportedly based on the mundane meetings Orwell had to sit through when workign at the BBC. Apparently a particulary boring meeting took place in room 101.
The ‘Child Heros’ in Nineteen Eighty-Four have parralels to ‘______ _____’
1984
The Hitler Youth are very similar to the Child Heros in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Child heros were children who gave up their parents for thought crime.
The Hitler Youth was designed to train boys as future fighters and soldiers for the Nazi cause. Boys practiced military drills and learned to handle weapons. They also worked on farms in the summer and participated in competitive sports, especially boxing.
Who is Mussolini?
Benito Mussolini was an Italian leader who founded the Fascist Party and ruled Italy as Prime Minister from 1922 to 1943. He came to power after World War I, using strong-arm tactics to control the government and suppress opposition. Mussolini pursued aggressive foreign policies, including invading Ethiopia in 1935. He allied with Nazi Germany during World War II but was overthrown in 1943 after Italy’s military failures. Mussolini was later captured and executed by Italian partisans in 1945.
