1984 #9

WAR IS PEACE.

3 superstates

o   Eurasia--> Russia absorbed Europe --> now N. part of Europe/Asia landmass, Portugal to Bering Strait

o   Oceania--> USA absorbed British Empire -->now Americas, Atlantic Islands (incl British Isles), Australia, S. Africa

o   Eastasia--> 10 yrs fighting --> now China, countries S., Japanese islands, portion of Manchuria/Mangolia/Tibet

·         Permanently at war

o   “warfare of limited aims between combatants who are unable to destroy one another, have no material cause for fighting, and are not divided by any genuine ideological difference” (186).

·         Few people actually fighting, few casualties

·         Different motives are now dominant that used to be mostly insignificant (186)

·         One superstate can’t win b/c all too evenly matched

o   Huge amount of land

o   Nothing to fight over: no need for markets b/c all have self-contained economies

§  1/5 of world population in middle no-mans-land + N. ice cap= labor force they fight over-->changes in who nation is “fighting”

·         Essentially slaves

o   Just borders fluctuate w/ fighting

·         War is so pointless--> laborers near Equator: “whatever they produce is used for purposes of war, and the object of waging a war is always to be in a better position to wage another war” (188)

o   Structure of world society based on war

o   Primary purpose of war= “use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living” (188)

§  Surplus of consumption goods in industrial society

·         Science + technology stopped developing b/c 1) wars/revolutions + 2) strict society not conducive to independent thinking

·         Machine = potential to decrease human inequality (no need for it)

o   Destroy hierarchal society

o   People normally “stupefied by poverty” would become literate, realize privileged minority = pointless, and get rid of it (190)

·         Needed to keep people poor--> restrict output of goods?--> that would make military weak--> continuous warfare = solution

o   “War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent” (191)

o   Ex. Floating Fortresses--> waste of efforts

·          Needs of population underestimated

o   Even privileged close to not having enough-->small privileges increases distinction b/w groups (Inner Party > Outer Party > proles)

·         War also provides emotional basis for hierarchal society

o   Morale of Party--> focus on war mentality

o   Esp. Inner Party--> knows some information is untrue, but doublethink prevents them from actually knowing they know it--> believe they will win

·         No more “science” in Newspeak--> closest thing is weapons development

·         2 aims of Party: 1) conquer earth 2) no more independent thought

·         2 problems of Party: 1) how to discover what people are thinking 2) “how to kill several hundred million people in a few seconds without giving warning beforehand” (193)

o   Pg. 194 descriptions of experiments

·         Post-atomic world--> bombs stored up but no longer dropped on each other

·         All 3 superstates following same strategy: circle rival state w/ bases, pretend to be friends, move bombs to strategic locations, blow them up, pretend to be friends w/ remaining power--> this won’t ever work

·         Want to keep “cultural integrity” (196)--> if one power conquers land in another superstate, the current population would have to be destroyed or assimilated

o   No contact with foreigners allowed--> people would realize the similarities, the lies--> breakdown of control

·         All 3 superstates have same philosophies

o   Ingsoc (Oceania), Neo-Bolshevism (Eurasia), Obliteration of the Self/Death-worship (Eastasia)

o   Convoluted reasoning behind conflict v. trying not to actually conquer each other pg. 197

·         In past, war had to end--> win/loss had consequence--> need to learn from past

o   “War was a sure safeguard of sanity” (198)--> ruling class had to be responsible

o   Now that it is continuous, efficiency = unnecessary

·         People have no contact w/ outside world or past, rulers = absolute--> what is reality?

·         “The war is waged by each ruling group against its own subjects, and the object of war is not to make or prevent conquests of territory, but to keep the structures of society intact” (199)

·         Constant war = same as 3 superstates agreeing to live in permanent peace w/in own boundaries--> still self-contained universe w/out external danger--> War is Peace

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

·         3 groups, always same goals-->High: remain where they are; Middle: change place with High; Low: create equality

o   Power shifts: Middle enlist Low and take power, but then Low still at bottom, Middle = new High-->never closer to equality

o   High: doctrine always was need for hierarchy

o   Middle: “freedom” and “justice,” “equality” that became tyranny…

·         New movements (like Ingsoc) = last overthrow and permanent High

·         Now that human equality was possible with machines, equality = real potential danger

o   “The earthly paradise had been discredited at the exact moment when it became realizable” (204)

·         New aristocracy = bureaucrats, scientists, trade-union organizers, teachers, politicians, etc. (pg. 205 full list)

o   Compared to past rulers, “they were less avaricious, less tempted by luxury, hungrier for pure power, and, above all, more conscious of what they were doing and more intent on crushing opposition” (205)

·         w/ technology, possible to enforce complete obedience + uniformity of opinion of all citizens

·         collectivism = only secure basis for oligarchy

o   collectively, Party owns everything

o   People thought that when capitalism overthrown, there would have to be Socialism--> this allowed for Party to easily get control

·         Ruling group falls from power if: 1) conquered from outside, 2) governs poorly and masses revolt, 3) allows strong Middle to develop, 4) loses self-confidence and willingness to govern

o   1--> no longer issue w/ permanent war

o   2--> w/out standards of comparison, masses don’t realize they are oppressed

o   3+4--> only potential problem: has to do w/ education

·         Structure--> not hereditary: exam at age 16, not divided by race

o   Big Brother = apex --> easier for people to focus feelings on one individual

o   Inner Party = brain (2% population)

o   Outer Party = hands

o   Proles (85%)

·         Rulers held together by common doctrine

·         Ambitious Outer Party allowed to rise--> now harmless; ambitious proles = killed

·         Old socialism: assumption that “what is not hereditary cannot be permanent” (209)--> this isn’t true--> ruling power doesn’t care WHO rules, just that their structure rules

·         Goal: don’t let anyone figure out that this is the way society works

o   Proles: doesn’t matter what they think b/c uneducated, no intellect

o   Party members: Thought Police control

§  No law in Oceania--> specific thoughts aren’t forbidden, but people who potentially have these thoughts are wiped out

§  Have to have correct beliefs without understanding them because otherwise they would realize the contradictions of Ingsoc

§  Children trained not to think (doublethink, crimestop, backwhite)

·         Discontent w/ life dissipated w/ Two Minutes Hate

·         Crimestop: act of stopping short any thought that could lead to a dangerous thought; “protective stupidity” (212) except one has complete control over his mind to make himself stupid

·         Blackwhite: 2 meanings

o   Toward enemy: contradiction of plain facts (bad)

o   Toward Party member: loyalty to whatever Party says, believing and knowing that what they say is and always has been true

·         Continuous alteration of past

o   Ensures people have no standard of comparison

o   Safeguard infallibility of Party--> must always be right

o   New version IS the past

o   Remember that an event happened, and then forget that you tampered with memory--> reality control aka doublethink (214)

·         Doublethink: “power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them” (214)

o   Allows history to be altered

o   In past, oligarchies fell because of unconsciousness or consciousness--> now system where both occur simultaneously

§  Secret to ruling: believe one is infallible w/ power to learn from past mistakes (215)

o   “the greater the understanding, the greater the delusion: the more intelligent, the less sane” (215)

§  Ex. war hysteria of Inner Party members

·         EVERYTHING IS A CONTRADICTION

o   Ex. Party member uniform = manual workers’ clothing (overalls)

o   To prevent equality, “the prevailing mental condition must be controlled insanity” (216)

§  “Sanity is not statistical” (218). Oh, Winston.