Totalitarian Government

TOTALITARIAN GOVERNMENT

Verônica Maria Teixeira Mariano

Fortaleza - Ceará

July 2013

VERÔNICA MARIA TEIXEIRA MARIANO

TOTALITARIAN GOVERNMENT

Professor: Michel François

Discipline: Inglês IV – Língua e Cultura

Class: Inglês IV, Night

Course: Letras_Ingles

UFC - CE

Fortaleza _ July 08th, 2013

SUMMARY

1. Abstract

2. Keywords

3. Introduction

3.1. About totalitarianism

3.2. Authoritarian and Totalitarianism

3.3. 1984, George Orwell

3.3.1 Political propaganda about the Leader, Gig Brother

3.3.2 Slogans of the Big Brother’s party

3.3.3 The Telescreen

3.3.4 Ministries of Government

3.3.5 The Thought Police

3.3.6 Ignsoc

3.3.7 Newspeak

3.3.8 Doublethink

3.3.9 Technological Control

4. Conclusions

5. References

6. Appendix

1. ABSTRACT

This paper is intended as an explanation about totalitarian regimes as a government form showing its characteristics, consequences and appearance, in a sense that this information is important to people’s intellectual knowledge.

2. KEYWORDS

Government forms, totalitarianism, totalitarian regimes, ideology, authoritarian.

3. INTRODUCTION

3.1. About totalitarianism

Political system developed just after the World War I in 1920s by the Italian fascists. The totalitarian regimes are regimes of government in which the government holds all the power. They have as their main objective to make their ideology prevail above all things and the state is willing to apply all necessary measures to achieve its objectives. They make economical and political decisions and enact laws forcing obedience through the use of military force. The state can censor and control the Media, as well as control the technology and make propaganda for the leader. There are no presidential elections. Theoretically, this government form ends civil freedom because it subordinates all aspects of the individual’s life.

All characteristics of totalitarian regimes were widely practiced during the 1930s and 1940s. The Italian fascism and Nazi Germany were the most significant totalitarian regimes that existed in the whole world.

Today some totalitarian government forms are still practiced among those the most common ones are Communism and Dictatorship adopted by countries like China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sudan and some others belonging to African countries and Middle East.

3.2. Authoritarian and Totalitarianism

Sometimes it is possible to confuse a term for another but despite similarities between them, authoritarian and totalitarian regimes shouldn’t be confused with one another. While the primary is a private power not connected with the government or some ideology, the secondary is an extreme authoritarianism where the government seeks to completely control the thoughts and actions of its citizens.

3.3. The book “1984, by George Orwell”

The totalitarian government form is fully represented in the book 1984, written by George Orwell. Through the character Winston Smith’s reports, the author describes that kind of political regime having as a background the city of London. All the citizens of the city were in private or public places, had their life controlled by state whose leader was Big Brother. Various forms of control were used to induce the citizens to the government’s intents.

3.3.1. Political propaganda about the Leader, Big Brother

Big Brother was the leader of the Party and kept constant his political propaganda. Posters with his face were plastered everywhere. Despite Big Brother never had been seen in person by anyone he had his figure exalted through the constant propagandas. It was a duty for all devoted love and respect to the leader.

“The black-moustachio’d face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house-front immediately opposite. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston’s own” (Page 6)

“He took a twenty-five cent piece out of his pocket. There, too, in tiny clear lettering, the same slogans were inscribed, and on the other face of the coin the head of Big Brother. Even from the coin the eyes pursued you. On coins, on stamps, on the covers of books, on banners, on posters, and on the wrappings of a cigarette packet-everywhere.” (Page 25)

3.3.2. Slogans of the Big Brother’s Party

“From where Wisnton stood it was just possible to read, picked out on its white face in elegant lettering, the three slogans of the Party:

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVEY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Page 7)

3.3.3. The Telescreen

It was a large screen placed on many