“Nineteen Eighty Four”, by George Orwell An Introduction

Contents 1.George Orwell – Biographical Information 2.Timeline of Key Historical Events Surrounding “Nineteen Eighty Four” 3.Political Context a)Hitler’s Germany b)Stalin’s U.S.S.R. 4.Cultural Impact 5.Main themes

George Orwell – Biographical Information George Orwell was born on 25th June 1903 as Eric Arthur Blair. He was born in India and spent the first year of his life there. Orwell later moved with his mother and sister to Britain, where he grew up, eventually attending Eton College on a scholarship. Orwell’s family couldn’t afford to send him to university, so he moved to India and joined the India Imperial Police Force in After five years, he resigned and returned home to England, determined to make a living as a writer. Orwell’s early writing focused on the lives of the poor – he was extremely poor at this stage in his life, taking on work as a dishwasher to support his writing career. In 1936 Orwell married Eileen O'Shaughnessy, who supported him throughout his writing career.

George Orwell – Biographical Information In 1937 Orwell and his wife moved to Spain and Orwell fought against General Franco in the Spanish Civil War. He was badly injured and later moved back to England. Orwell continued to live and work in England; however he had poor health for much of this time. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and was a patient at Hairmyres Hospital for some time. Orwell’s two best known works are “Animal Farm” and “Nineteen Eighty-four”. Both novels are intensely political, and explore Orwell’s attitude towards totalitarianism and social injustice. Orwell died of tuberculosis on 21 st of January 1950, a year after “Nineteen Eighty-four” was published. He was 46 years old. The ideas expressed in Orwell’s works continue to be discussed even today.

“Nineteen Eighty Four” – Timeline of Events 1903 – George Orwell (christened Eric Arthur Blair) is born – World War Two Mid-1940s – The Cold War begins 1948 – Orwell completes writing “Nineteen Eighty Four” (published in 1949) 1950 – George Orwell dies of tuberculosis, aged s – Television sets became popular in the UK. 1984– The year in which the events of the novel are set. 1990s – Closed-circuit television surveillance was popularised in the UK.

Hitler’s Germany Adolf Hitler was the leader of Germany from His political party were the National Socialists, more commonly referred to as the Nazi party. Some of the defining characteristics of Nazi party were: 1.A dictatorship system of government. 2.Extensive use of propaganda to promote a positive view of the government and a negative view of its enemies. 3.The use of a secret police force to maintain the obedience of the public. 4.The persecution of a range of groups of society, particularly the Jewish race. 5.An aggressive foreign policy, resulting in World War Two.

Stalin’s U.S.S.R. Joseph Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union (consisting of Russia and many other eastern European countries) from 1929– His political regime in the Soviet Union is now referred to as Stalinism. Some of the most typical characteristics of Stalinism were: 1.A dictatorship system of government. 2.Extensive use of propaganda to promote a positive view of the government and a negative view of its enemies. 3.The establishment of a personality cult. 4.The use of a secret police force to maintain the obedience of the public. 5.A series of purges, whereby millions of people who were seen to be a threat to Stalin’s government were executed or exiled to labour camps.

Stalin and Hitler – Propaganda Posters

Cultural Impact “Big Brother” –A term used to describe any overly-inquisitive or overly- controlling authority figure, or attempts by government to increase surveillance. “Room 101” –A term used to describe a place where unpleasant things are kept. “The Thought Police” –A term used to describe a system of law enforcement where people are punished before they commit a crime, as it is assumed that it is their intention to go on to commit the crime anyway. “Orwellian” –A term used to describe a society or system of government that seems to the reflect the type of society/government evident in Orwell’s novel “1984”.

Major Themes 1.The Dangers of Totalitarianism 2.Language as a form of Mind Control 3.Control of Information and History 4.Privacy and Freedom