Consider 1984‘s theme of Freedom versus Oppression in light of the events of World War II and Stalin’s regime in the Soviet Union.

Orwell wrote 1984 in reaction to the rise of totalitarian governments such as Stalin’s in the Soviet Union. Under Stalin’s rule, anyone perceived as an enemy of the government was executed or condemned to forced labor. In Nazi Germany Jews and enemies of the state were sent to death camps and slave labor camps. Forced labor camps, or “Joycamps,” were also a feature of Big Brother’s Party in 1984. Orwell had good reason to write his cautionary tale about governments that suppress freedom and individual thought. Not only had he seen the dangers of totalitarian regimes, but he also saw how World War II had fragmented British society. In the years following the war, people faced economic downturn, cities still badly damaged by fighting, and families decimated by brothers and husbands lost in combat. Under such circumstances people can be more willing to turn to their government for solace and support. The novel warns of the consequences of doing so at the cost of freedom and democracy.