WAR IS PEACE - FREEDOM IS SLAVERY - IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

This will be my last post to this blog. In 1984, propaganda is used to control. But each kind of propaganda I have explained so far is minute compared to this famous slogan;

WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

These phrases, particularly WAR IS PEACE, are quite possibly the most extreme works of propaganda ever imagined. And in essence, this slogan is truly what 1984 is all about. You could consider this slogan the backbone of the Party. But what do the phrases mean? They do contradict each other. Don't they seem kinda silly? Through proper explanation, you will realize that they are not.



WAR IS PEACE



To me, this is the most terrifying of all Orwell's ideas. In his imagined future, the three super-states, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, are all perpetually at war with one another. But the battle they fight is a futile, eternal battle, where no one will ever emerge victorious. At one point in the story, Winston reads Goldstein's book about the inner workings of the Party. The idea behind war and peace is explained elaborately but thoroughly. The main point of their never-ending war is not against each other, but against the people of their super-states. By giving the people an incentive towards war, they constantly have a war-like mentality. This, in my opinion, is the ultimate feat of propaganda. Because people will pay more attention towards propaganda during war, Oceania remains in a constant war in order to keep the people under the influence of propaganda. This is the reason why all the history I've done of propaganda has been geared towards warfare. If all the citizens fight for the party, how can a citizen fight against the party?


FREEDOM IS SLAVERY



It is very clear how contradictory this statement is. In 1984, O'Brein reminds Winston that it can be said in reverse; SLAVERY IS FREEDOM. The Party knows that while every individual is in bondage to them, their is no freedom, no individuality. This means no defeat. If the individual is outside of the Party, he will die and life will go on. But if he is in submission to the Party, then he IS the Party, and therefore he is immortal. Power is collective. One cannot have power on their own. They must be a slave.


IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH



The meaning behind this statement is complex. Mankind has always had three classes: high, middle, and low. The high has always tried to remain the high. The middle has always tried to become the high The low has always aspired of world where all men are equal. This cycle has continued, leading to war after war, reform after reform, revolution after revolution. But the Party has put a stop to it. By keeping the proletarians entertained, they control them. The proletarians have the strength to rebel, but do not have the intelligence. This is where the slogan IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH comes in. The Part is infallible because there is no one smart enough to overcome it, not even the Party itself. This is why the Party cannot fall. The people of Oceania cannot possibly be educated past the point where they would feel unsatisfied with the state they live in, and therefore consider their current life the best life they could have, and any other life to be terrible and unsatisfactory. Through the constant barrage of propaganda, one slogan stands to the people of Oceania;


IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

A HISTORY OF WARFARE PROPAGANDA

WAR AND PROPAGANDA


Throughout history, propaganda has been used to rally armies, control citizens, and renew patriotic feelings among nations. Though there were many early forms of propaganda, its use grew mainly after the development of the printing press, which led to some of the greatest feats of propaganda in history. The timeline of historical propaganda in this post is very brief. To save time I will show you only the most famous and acknowledged feats of propaganda in war. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR:

Between the 16^th and 19^th century the use of propaganda grew immensely. Governments and societies soon began to see the power that posters, billboards, books, newspaper articles, plays and other media could have on the public. Preceding America’s war for Independence, a cartoon written by Benjamin Franklin became an important piece of propaganda for the colonies of America. It encouraged the colonies to unite against British rule. The cartoon was that of a snake cut into segments 

representing the colonies, and the words JOIN OR DIE. 

JOIN, or DIE. Originally meant to be a cartoon, the Americans soon took this slogan and used it to rally the people against the Brits. 

THE CIVIL WAR:Though the Civil War in America was not known for a lot of propaganda, there was one interesting picture I found. It was the picture of a former slave's gruesome whip marks on his back. The picture was distributed to Union troops, to remind them of the injustice that was happening in the south. The civil war was not necessarily known for the use of propaganda.




WORLD WAR I:

In this universal struggle, many new types of warfare were commenced; mustard gas, trench warfare, ect. But something more powerful than battle technology also came began in World War I: Government propaganda. The governments of the U.S, Great Britain, and Germany all used propaganda for to influence the citizens of their countries in a optimistic manner. Both the allies and their enemy boasted the inevitable victory of their country that could only be gained with the help of dutiful citizens. Also, another example of government propaganda is that of recruiting posters. The faces of Uncle Sam and Lord Kitchener stared at the faces of young men, telling them their was no worthier of a cause than to join their countries military. 

Very personal slogans; your country needs YOU. 

Every man, woman AND child!

But it didn't stop there. The government knew it was important that every citizen played a roll in the war. Women and children alike were rallied with posters and slogans reminding them to do their part in collecting scrap metal and preserving food. It is true that most propaganda is full of lies and deceit, but much of the propaganda used in World War I was harmless towards the citizens of the U.S and actually brought growth, community, and a new sense of purpose for the people of America. To me, there are two kinds of communism. One that would control the people and one that would inspire them.



World War II: 

Perhaps some of the most famous works of propaganda came from World War II. Following the lead of World War II much propaganda was made by the allies in a positive way, encouraging the people to help with the war, buy bonds, and collect scrap metal ect. However, World War II also began the negative connotations of propaganda. This was started by Hitler and Nazi Germany. Another post in this blog will be devoted to Nazi Germany's influence on George Orwell along with the influence of Soviet Russia and totalitarianism. In the meantime, you can see a picture that you may recognize. In 1943, a man named J. Howard Miller produced a poster aimed to boost the morale of workers during WWII, especially the women. 

A very famous example of propaganda in WWII.

Recruitment posters were also used often, such as the two pictured above.


MODERN PROPAGANDA
Propaganda is still used in war to this day. You have probably seen different types of propaganda without realizing it. For example, many of you have seen different commercials similar to this one.




Recruitment videos such as this are used to show how exciting and patriotic a job in the military can be. These videos along with college payment are two of the major ways the military acquires enlistments.
Though the U.S will use propaganda, it almost never has negative connotations when it comes to military propaganda. In a clever move during the Afghan War, the U.S took control of Afghan radio transmitters and replaced the anti-american messages with anti-Taliban ones in order to gain sympathy and support from civilians. Other tactics like this have been used over and over in the history of war and military propaganda.

Though this was simply a very brief history of propaganda, it is important to realize that propaganda has always been a very useful and dangerous tool in warfare. By giving the masses of people only one side of an argument and not letting them decide for themselves which is the best way to go.This is a re-occurring theme in 1984 and will further be addressed in future posts. Propaganda is used in all circumstances, but given the circumstances of 1984, propaganda is used primarily for war. And not just a war, but an eternal struggle towards the primary adversary; the people.

A famous conspiracy theory regarding the Al-Queda attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, states that the actual cause behind 9/11 was George Bush. It is said that George Bush ordered 9/11 to happen in order to justify war agaisnt the Al-Queda and Osama Bin Ladin. Though this is probably not what actually happened, it raises a good point, especially in regards to George Orwell's famous slogan;

WAR IS PEACE

WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?

PROPAGANDA

(prop-a-gan-da)
noun
1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm  person, group, movement, institution, nation, ect.
2. The deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, ect.
3. The particular doctrines or principles propagated by an orginization or movement.






What is propaganda? I'm sure you have heard of it before. You have seen pictures of Uncle Sam pleading for military service in your history books, you have probably learned of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany and their influence on the world, but could you define propaganda in it's most simplest terms?

An interesting photo I found describing the essence of propaganda.

Propaganda has been around for along time. Historically, propaganda has been used to sway the masses outlooks towards a particular style of thinking. This could be done by the constant use of media to present an idea or doctrine. The most famous way of issuing propaganda is through visuals such as posters or billboards. For example, if you were to walk down a street and see 400 different signs telling you to buy a certain product, what would your thoughts be? Probably something along the lines of 'wow that must be a very quality product' or 'I should by that product'. This is an example of advertisement, which is not exactly like propaganda but very similar. By constantly giving a message to the masses, they will believe it. This is the purpose of propaganda.

A term that plays a huge part in propaganda is ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the belief or viewpoint that the your ethic group is superior and all other ethnic groups are inferior. This will be explained later on when I talk about Nazi Germany and it's influence on propaganda.

A bubble map (because I know you love bubble maps Mrs. Smith) of what ethnocentrism really is in regards to a persons views on society. 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPAGANDA

There are many different types of propaganda. Certain types can be used to change people in certain ways, and some are more effective than others, depending on the people group it is being used on. Though there are many forms of propaganda, I will use the ones that are most commonly used in 1984.

Assertion - Assertion is a form of propaganda that is used in advertising and modern propaganda. Assertion is a energetic and enthusiastic statement presented as fact, even if it isn't. Assertion can be seen in many presidential campaigns. For example, how much has Obama changed for the better since he was in office, even though his slogan was "change'?

Has the U.S made progress, or was this simply a slogan that the Americans automatically assumed true and therefore voted for Obama?

Bandwagon propaganda - Bandwagon propaganda is one of the most influential techniques used during both wartime and peacetime. This type of propaganda appeals to the individual to join the crowd, and do something because everyone else is doing it, otherwise known as "jumping on the bandwagon"

Buy war bonds because I'M buying war bonds! - A simple example of bandwagon propaganda.

Selective Omission (Card Stacking) - Selective omission, also known as card stacking, is a typical type of propaganda used to sway the masses in a given direction by telling them what they want to hear, and leaving out the rest. By presenting information that is positive and omitting all negative viewpoints, the government can control the way the people view something. This technique is used often in Orwell's 1984. Though a picture will not be shown, this type of propaganda will be addressed later in the blog.

Glittering Generalities - Occurs often in politics and political propaganda, glittering generalities is what it sounds like. By using words that sound positive to defend something that sounds like it would correspond with a persons values, one can give a person a warped view on something.

 

Americans's may see the three words in this posters slogan and immediately assume positive things about Ron Paul.
Restore, America, and Now, are all words that are positive to the American citizen.

Lesser of Two Evils - This technique is basically self explanatory. By presenting the subject with two ideas and pointing out the obvious superiority of one, the subject immediately concludes that the superior one is also positive, even if it is not. This is a very clever form of propaganda, often used in wartime to convince people of the need for sacrifice or to justify difficult decisions.

Though it does not have negative connotations, this is a good example of lesser of two evils propaganda.

Name Calling - Very, very common in political and war propaganda, name calling is very simple yet very effective. Name calling is the use of derogatory words aimed towards the competition of a country, society, or individual, to change the masses minds about that competition. 

A common propaganda poster used during WWII against the Germans. The poster immediately gives the viewer
negative thoughts about the countries that opposed America.

Enemy Pinpointing - A very effective propaganda technique used often in warfare. This technique simplifies a complex situation by pinpointing the main cause of the problem, or the enemy. This type of propaganda can also be known as simplifying or stereotyping.

A complex situation, the need for workers in America, is addressed  as a negative effect due to the Japanese, in this American propaganda from WWII. 

Plain Folks - The last and possibly most important type of propaganda I will discuss is that of plain folks propaganda. Plain folks propaganda convinces the public that its views reflect those of the common person and that they are working for the benefit of that person. A very deceitful form of propaganda, it can give the public an unrealistic view of their power and influence, only to toss them into the hands of the government.

An example of plain folks propaganda; "Look at what I am doing to help the war!"

As you can see, propaganda has many forms and can be used to influence the public in many ways. it is important to know that there are two different ways propaganda can be viewed. Positively and negatively. Positive propaganda would be for example, a recruitment video or poster. The propaganda in these videos or posters does not give the public a warped view of a complex subject, it merely asks young men and women to be patriotic and fight for their country.

Negative propaganda has not been common within the realm of American propaganda, but later on you will have a front seat view of some of the most despicable and deceiving propaganda ever used, by a man named Adolf Hitler and his propagandist Joseph Goebels. 

THE INFLUENCE OF SOVIET RUSSIA ON ORWELL'S WRITING AND ANIMAL FARM

THE INFLUENCE OF SOVIET RUSSIA ON ORWELL'S WRITING AND ANIMAL FARM

A picture of George Orwell circa 1933.

Eric Arthur Blair, or more commonly known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English writer and journalist who is famous for his radical opposition towards communism, social injustice, and totalitarianism, and his belief in democratic socialism. Orwell was influenced by two different groups of people, the Soviets, and the Nazis. Orwell was extremely opposed to Hitler and Stalin's viewpoints and wrote many artivles and essays against the social injustices of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Born in 1903, Orwell lived during a time in history when social injustice thrived, which inspired him to write one of the most famous books of all time, the dystopian novel, 1984. But before 1984, was a book that is almost equal in illustriousness, but much shorter and simpler; the allegory, Animal Farm. 


 After moving back to England in 1937, Orwell paid for himself by writing articles for a newspaper called the New English Weekly. He began writing propaganda for the British in 1941(ironic), but resigned in 1943. During this time, Orwell wrote his Anti-Stalinist allegory, Animal Farm. The reasons behind this novella were simple. Orwell despised Stalinism. Stalinism is the form of governing a socialistic state started by Joseph Stalin. 

A picture of Joseph Stalin, one of the biggest influences on George Orwell.

Stalinism consists primarily of five parts; rapid industrialization (which transformed the working class into an industrial powerhouse), a centralized state, socialism in one county (meaning that Russia could have socialism and continue to trade with other non-socialistic countries), collectivization, and the subordination of other communist parties to those of Soviet Russia. Stalinism and the rise of Soviet Russia is what Animal Farm addresses. Each character in Animal Farm represents a figure in the Russian Revolution and the rise of Soviet Russia, the main pig Napoleon representing the powerful and evil Joseph Stalin. 

An interesting picture I found of Joseph Stalin's mustached being represented as a  pig from Animal Farm

Animal Farm depicted the harsh truth of what Stalinism and any form of communism really was. With his famous slogan in Animal Farm "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal then others" Orwell shined a light on the reality of communism, and how the working class is constantly lied to into thinking they are equal to people like Stalin or other powerful figures during Soviet Russia. 

The famous slogan that Orwell coined in Animal Farm

The ironic thing about Animal Farm is that what Orwell thought would be against propaganda(a prominent theme in the book) turned out to be somewhat propaganda itself. Though one of the driving forces of Orwell's writing was that of the injustice and deception of Soviet propaganda, Orwell's Animal Farm could actually be considered propaganda itself.; it only gives one side of the argument, which is a common stereotype of propaganda, and it endorses slogans, like the one mentioned above, to prove how deceitful Soviet propaganda was.

Soviet Russia and Stalinism was one of, if not the biggest influences on Orwell's writing. Just like the animals in Animal Farm the working class of Russia swallowed anything the Stalinists threw at them. This led to an unjust lifestyle for the working class, one of Orwell's main points in Animal Farm. Propaganda is a very prominent idea in Animal Farm and give a clear representation of Orwell's views on communism.

1984 is a much different book then Animal Farm, but the influence of propaganda is certainly emphasized as much if not more.