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.
