Goldsteins manifesto

• In part two, chapter 9 of 1984, Winston Smith reads for the first time in the manifesto of the opportunist Emmanuel Goldstein. The book is called "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism" (p. 198, l. 4 f.) reveals the intrigues and machinations behind "Big Brother's" (p. 3, l. 22) totalitarian system. Also, the book includes a handout on how best to disable the regime, and the reading of this work is therefore strictly forbidden
• In the first chapter of his book, which is entitled "Ignorance is Strength" (p. 198, l. 10), Emmanuel Goldstein writes about the different groups in a society. In his opinion, a population is divided into three strata, "the High, the Middle, and the Low" (p. 198, l. 13). This order, according to Goldstein, cannot be changed by any change in social life
• The third chapter of the manifesto, which has the heading "War is Peace" (p. 199, l. 7), deals with the distribution of the new world into three states called Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. Goldstein describes the geographic areas and boundaries of the three world states and that the definition of war has changed in that states no longer fight over land assets or border areas. Instead, war now serves as "a direct economic purpose" (p. 201, l. 5 f.), more specifically, "labour power" (p. 201, l. 6)
• As a former leader of the "Ingsoc" (p. 4. l. 25 f.) party, Goldstein provides deep insights into the structures of the party and consequently also into the state apparatus in his manifesto. In his work, the former leader retrospectively explains the historical development that allowed the existing totalitarian system to become its actual state
• The aim of "oligarchical Collectivism" (p. 198, l. 4 f.), which Goldstein describes in his manifesto, is not at all to increase production, but to generalise material scarcity. The state of emergency serves above all to keep the people immature. Dulled and dulled by poverty, they cannot educate themselves and learn to think for themselves. The broad masses are preoccupied with mere subsistence and can be satisfied by propaganda and entertainment. This also explains why the party has "Ignorance is Strength" (p. 198, l. 10) as one of its leading slogans. This systematically brought about the general state of scarcity is camouflaged to the citizens by the state-propagated collective ethic of renunciation

The Cold War

• The period of the creation of 1984 can be placed in the Cold War era. Based on this, the background and preconditions that led to the Cold War are examined in more detail
• The Cold War was a conflict between the United States of America and the former Soviet Union in the period 1947-1990
• The Cold War between the two world powers, the USA and the UdSSR, divided the world into two camps. While the Bolsheviks came to power in the Russian revolution in World War I in October 1917, the USA simultaneously became the new world power by entering the war in the same year
• After the Second World War in 1945, Great Britain, the USA and Russia divided Germany into four occupation zones. Four years later, as Winston Churchill put it, "the Iron Curtain" fell in Germany. To this day, the Iron Curtain is a symbol of the Cold War
• In the Cold War, the USA fought on behalf of capitalism and democracy against the Soviets, who in turn represented communism and the planned economy. The two superpowers engaged in an arms race from 1949-1990 that kept them equally and consistently powerful
• However, the major powers, the US and Russia, left the fighting to smaller, economically weaker countries. This led to the so-called proxy wars, such as the Vietnam War of 1955-75 or the Iraq War of 2003. In these wars, the world powers negotiate their power interests on the backs of third countries so that their own countries are not affected
• The Cold War got its name because the weapons in this war remained "cold", ergo, were not used. Nevertheless, hostilities were unquestionably waged and the tension between the two sides was unbearable. The two states, however, evaded their responsibility by involving third countries in their conflicts. In this way, countless innocent civilians and soldiers lost their lives

Definition of dystopia vs. utopia

• 1984 is a dark dystopian novel written by the author George Orwell. Dystopian because it is a fictional vision of a future world that will not be positive but terrifying
• The term dystopia stems from the Greek and can be composed of the words dys and tópos. In Greek, dystopia means as much as a bad place (in the future)
• Dystopia is often used as an opposite term to utopia. A utopia, on the other hand, consisting of the Greek words óu and tópos, represents .
• Dystopia is often used as an opposite term to utopia. A utopia, on the other hand, consisting of the Greek words óu and tópos, represents a place that does not (yet) exists
• Other well-known dystopian works besides 1984 by George Orwell are Fahrenheit 41 by Ray Bradbury or The Circle by Dave Eggers