12/8/2022 0 Comments From 1984 to 1989![]() A totalitarian government is a political systerm that asserts total control over its citizens. An example of these would be the chinese government, specifically the incident in spring of 1989, and the government of Oceania in the novel "1984". Both are situations where the government manipulates the citizens' minds over reality and uses violence if the individuals do not obey the rules. The Tiananmen Square incident happened when there was growing sentiment among university students and others in China for political and economic reform. To retake control of the area, troops advanced toward an ongoing protest on Tiananmen Square between June 3 and 4. They opened fire, and crushed, and arrested protesters as they moved toward the square. The death toll has been pegged at 10,000 according to most estimations, compared to the government's estimate of 200 deaths. The government has typically tried to censor mentions of the occurrence throughout the years. The act of remembering the incident in public is forbidden. This incident fits the quotation from 1984 ideally: "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." (Orwell 44). If the citizens of Oceania look back at the unaltered history, it will be evident that the government is not as good as it claims to be (similar to the protests of 1989). Once they realize this, they start questioning the government, which will eventually lead to revolting against it and trying to bring it down. Once they are aware of this, they begin to doubt the government, which eventually causes them to rebel and try to overthrow it. Therefore, much propaganda is in place both in the novel and China to prevent these situations. To prevent these situations, it is critical to continue spreading awareness. These incidents are not to be forgotten since our memory is the only thing keeping those deaths and the violence hidden possible.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |