Lecture Notes on 1984 Context

Historical Context

• Publication Date: 1984 was published in 1949.
• Stalin's Great Purge (1930s):
  • Joseph Stalin, leader of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union.
  • State seized private property for communal use.
  • Stalin became a dictator.
  • Totalitarian regime eliminated opposition.
  • Secret police used torture for false confessions.
  • Millions disappeared in purges—executed or sent to prison camps, with records destroyed.

Stalin and the Spanish Civil War

• Stalin funded the socialist Republican government against fascist nationalists.
• Accusations of treason against allies led to infighting and more bloodshed.

World War II

• Nazi Regime:
  • Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party established concentration camps.
  • Victims of the Holocaust were erased from history as non-persons.
• Aftermath:
  • Post-war era focused on uncovering facts hidden by the Nazis.

Orwell’s Warnings

• Orwell's story serves as a caution against regimes evading responsibility.
• Advocated for ethical socialism as a fairer system.
• Anti-totalitarian and anti-Stalinist stance during the writing of 1984.
• English socialism (Ingsoc) in 1984 reflects vulnerability to totalitarianism in any country.

Literary Impact

• 1984: Anti-totalitarian novel, not anti-socialist.
• Immediate impression as a work of political prophecy.
• Relevance continues in the context of technological and media divisions.
• Key Terms Introduced:
  • Big Brother, newspeak, thought police, doublethink.
  • Term "Orwellian" now describes a dystopian totalitarian future.