When examining the totalitarian government of 1984 by George Orwell, a direct connection can be drawn to the motives and ideals associated with Niccoló Machiavelli’s The Prince. Machiavelli’s support of the political necessity as a means to remain in power resonate with the government whose aim is to “extinguish once and for all the possibility of independent thought” as a way to ensure complete political orthodoxy within the country (193). Specifically, Machiavellian thought plays an important part in 1984 as its ideas on reputation, revolution, avoiding hatred, and the use of fear to control a populace are used by INGSOC in order to maintain complete control throughout the story. In the following paragraphs, the connections between these two works above will be elaborated on in an attempt to show the Machiavellian influence of the government in 1984. In the writings of both 1984 and The Prince, revolution and ideas surrounding it are presented as major themes. In 1984, the idea of revolution is present in INGSOC’s existence from both the past to the present. Initially, INGSOC is described as coming to power through a popular uprising revolting against the horrors of the previous capitalist system. This is important as having the support of the people from the beginning drastically increases the Party’s power. Machiavelli puts it perfectly when he states that, “he who attains princely rule through the favor of the people finds himself there alone and has no one, or very few, around him who are not ready to obey him” (41). So it seems then that the Party was able to rise to such preeminence off the relative support of the people after the revolution against the previous social system. As time progressed however, the government... ... middle of paper ... ...ns to release or redirect their negative feelings and emotions towards the Party before they can become actions. So by use of the Two Minutes Hate and other methods, the Party succeeds in reflecting and diminishing any hate towards it, therefore making sure it remains in a permanent position of power. After investigating the text in both George Orwell’s 1984 and Niccoló Machiavelli’s The Prince, a staggering connection can be found. When closely observed, the ideas presented by Machiavelli in his search for the ideal prince are in fact directly analogous to the motives and actions made by INGSOC in 1984. Machiavellian thought plays an important part in 1984 as its ideas on reputation, revolution, avoiding hatred, and the use of fear to control a populace are used by INGSOC in order to maintain complete control throughout the story. Works Cited 1984, The Prince
Many empirical things can often still be debated and refuted by experts, but there is a general admittance to the idea that power is the root of many evil things. In all fairness, we must admit that a many evil things can in their essence, be great. And that is one of the many theories advanced by Niccolo Machiavelli in his well-known work, The Prince. The Prince serves a dual purpose of both teaching a person how to attain power, but also how to retain it. Incredibly enough, history has proven most of Machiavelli’s findings and theories to work well, while some have failed to effectively secure power for the rulers who did, in fact try them. His work, does obviously highlight one main fact, which is, that power is a well sought-after attribute, and most who attain are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep it.
North Korea, China, and even Cuba are similar to 1984. They try to control their people just the same as in 1984, and just like in Jonestown. The only people who were free in 1984 were the Proles. The community in Jonestown began as everyone wanting to be there, and then as conditions worsened the people wanted to leave. They were not allowed to, much like 1984. The people in both situations are similar, in that they are oppressed by their governments, but only the people in Jonestown are given the ability to think they are even able to
What if you woke one morning to find yourself living in a world where everything you say and do is ultimately orchestrated by a seemingly omniscient government? Would it feel different than the world you inhabit today? From warrantless wiretapping to endless attacks made by faces of terror, our world is much closer to George Orwell’s 1984 than we realize. 1984, though off by a few decades, is a startling and quite accurate prediction of modern day developed countries.
In his work The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli explores the complex relationship between a ruler and his people, but ultimately comes to the conclusion that the people, because they are crucial to the well being of the country, are to be manipulated in order for a country to thrive. In order to manipulate effectively one must keep the people oppressed, but not to the point of inspiring hate, and only when that balance is achieved is when a ruler can successfully manipulate their people.
1984 is a dystopian book by George Orwell that shows the world what it would be like if the central government controlled every aspect of our lives. Many people may believe that the government has to be strong for the nation to succeed. This novel shows us the many reasons as to why it is not such a good thing and the many problems that will come with it. The central leader “Big Brother” doesn’t even allow the citizens to talk against him in any way! He has many different tactics as to how he enforces it. Big Brother uses fear and hysteria against all the citizens to keep them from even thinking of doing against him through The Thought Police, and the way the government makes everyone think “Big Brother is always watching”. The book shows the third person point of view of a man named Winston Smith, who is against the totalitarian government and how he shows his feelings about the entire government. He doesn’t have many people who believe the same way as him about the government, but as the book goes on he finds out about the Brotherhood, a secret underground society that is against Big Brother. This essay will show you how the theme Too much power in the hands of one person will become corrupt and the many ways to show the way that it goes bad.
In 1984 one of the foremost themes is the austere peril totalitarianism, and its annexed structured inequality, poses to society. Orwell clearly demonstrates how a totalitarian regime is capable of acquiring and regulating a horrifically large degree of power and control. Orwell, a proclaimed Socialist, whole-heartedly believed in the potential of the Proletariat and their ability to organize a rebellion, subsequently hastening the advancement of society. However, he repeatedly observed such rebellions lapse and d...
The novel 1984 by George Orwell presents the readers an image of a totalitarian society that explores a world of control, power, and corruption. The main idea of government control presents itself in the novel by protecting and listening to the people of Oceania. However, Orwell suggests giving too much power to the government is a mistake because eventually the decisions they make will not be about the people anymore but rather themselves. In 1984, the power and corruption the party has is overwhelming for the people. There are no ways around the beliefs of the Party, the party attempts to control and eventually destroy any mental or physical resistance against their beliefs. The agenda for the party is to obtain mind control over its people and force them to adore their leader. The methods the Party uses to achieve its goal are: the use of constant propaganda and surveillance, the rewriting of history, and Room 101.
Machiavelli is undisputedly one of the most influential political philosophers of all time. In The Prince, his most well-known work, he relates clearly and precisely how a decisive, intelligent man can gain and maintain power in a region. This work is revolutionary because it flies in the face of the Christian morality which let the Roman Catholic Church hold onto Europe for centuries. Machiavelli's work not only ignores the medieval world's ethics: The Prince suggests actions which oppose the four most basic of Christianity's Ten Commandments.
Machiavelli, Niccolò, and Robert Martin Adams. "Chapter 18." The Prince: A Revised Translation, Backgrounds, Interpretations, Marginalia. New York: Norton, 1992. 49. Print.
Machiavelli in his famous book “The Prince” describes the necessary characteristics for a strong and successful leader. He believes that one of the most important characteristics is to rule in favor of his government and to hold power in his hands. Power is an essential aspect of Machiavelli’s theory, and a leader should do whatever it takes to keep it for the safety of his country because “the ends justifies the means.” To attain and preserve the power, a leader should rather be feared than loved by his people, but it is vital not to be hated. As he states, “anyone compelled to choose will find far greater security in being feared than in being loved.” If a leader is feared, the people are less likely to revolt, and in the end, only a threat of punishment can guarantee obedienc...
Machiavelli has long been required reading for everyone intrested in politics and power. In The Prince Niccolo M
“Bathes Roland (1977) “The explanation of a work is always sought in the man or women who produced it.” The values, beliefs and attitudes of George Orwell’s can easily be seen in the novel 1984, as no text is neutral. These values attitudes and beliefs are communicated in the novel through socio-cultural context and by the use of certain discourses, ideologies, and historical influences. The invited reading of 1984 is that absolute power is problematic as evidenced by a totalitarism regime.
The most astounding aspect of The Prince is Machiavelli’s view that princes may indeed, be cruel and dishonest if their ultimate aim is for the good of the state. It is not only acceptable but necessary to lie, to use torture, and to walk over other states and cities. Machiavellianism is defined as “A political doctrine of Machiavelli, which denies the relevance of morality in political affairs and holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing and maintaining political power (Def.)” This implies that in the conquest for power, the ends justify the means. This is the basis of Machiavellianism. The priority for the power holder is to keep the security of the state regardless of the morality of the means. He accepts that these things are in and of themselves morally wrong, but he points out that the consequences of failure, the ruin of states and the destruction of cities, can be far worse. Machiavelli strongly emphasizes that princes should not hesitate to use immoral methods to achieve power, if power is necessary for security and survival.
The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli isn't about one man's ways to feed his power hungry mindset through gluttony, nor is it just explaining altercations between a nation's states. This writing is regarding to how one's self-confidence can make them become powerful in a society and also, the way morals and politics differ and can be separate in a government. Originally, Machiavelli wrote The Prince to gain support from Lorenzo de' Medici, who during the era, was governor of Florence. As meant as writing for how a society should be run, this book has been read by many peoples around the world who want to have better knowledge of the perfect stability of beliefs and politics required to run a good civilization.
Strauss, Leo. Machiavelli’s Intention: The Prince . Ed. Leo Strauss. N.p., 1958. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. .