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Jonathan Chesney

Ms. Farr/English 12/Period 2

3/31/2017

1984 Essay

The Scrutinizing of Individualized and Immense Governmental Power

Throughout history, people have gone to great lengths to secure

power. People who hold power ought to understand that they must go

to great lengths of responsibility to ensure that their great power does

not become a great tyranny. Without responsibility, power can be lost

or become despised as abuses affect society multifariously. Immense

power is a utility that is often abused as evident through The Partys

control of Oceania, Adolf Hitlers control of Nazi Germany, and Joseph

Stalins control of the Soviet Union.

The Party went to great lengths to ensure its survival by

withholding its citizens natural rights, like freedom of speech, thought,

or expression. Orwell portrayed The Party as an overweening

governmental body that could convict one of the essential crime that

contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it(Orwell 24).

Thoughtcrime is the crime of defying The Party. Such acts are not

tolerated and are severely punished, often without a trial. By punishing

thought and basic defiance, The Party restricts its citizens natural

rights, which is an unequivocal abuse of power.

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The Party antagonizes views that could contribute to its demise.

Big Brothers nemesis, [Goldstein] was advocating freedom of speech,

freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of

thought(Orwell 16). The Party associates this speech with hatred by

presenting it in the Two Minutes Hate, thus vilifying it. The Party

conspired to shape the minds of its citizens so that it could remain in

power, depriving freedoms.

Adolf Hitler gained immense power then established

concentration camps throughout Europe. The Holocaust was the mass

murder of some 6 million Jews by the German Nazi

regime(History.com Staff), led by Adolf Hitler. Without his intense

power gain, he may have not orchestrated the Holocaust. It was not

until he had convinced his people, through the means of nationalism,

that a Holocaust event would be a viable solution as a punishment for

the Jews unrestricted compliance with the Allies after World War I.

Hitler wanted what was best for Germany, neglecting those whom he

did not consider to be German.

He intended for the Aryan race to control the world and

attempted this by conquering territory adjacent to Germany. His

attack on Poland in 1939 started World War II, and by 1941 Germany

occupied much of Europe and North Africa(History.com Staff). Hitler

abused his power on the World. He agreed to not incite war at the

Munich Conference, as agreed through the appeasement following his

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Sudetenland invasion, and then invaded Poland. Hitler craved world

domination for Germany, abusing his power on the world and

humanity.

Joseph Stalin often used his power oppressively. He established

the Gulag forced labor system in the Soviet Union. In addition to

prisoners of war, [The Gulag] housed political prisoners and criminals

of the Soviet Union. At its height, the Gulag imprisoned millions of

people (The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica). The Soviet Union

used the Gulag to house its dissidents. Stalin abused his power by

significantly restricting the speech of Soviet citizens, which was

perpetuation of the existence of a threat that is most harmful to the

expression of certain words. Stalins abusiveness does not end with the

Gulag.

As he rose to power, Stalin attempted to transform the Soviet

economy to one which would be Communist, in five years. Soviet

leaders attempted to orchestrate an increase in prison population []

The people of the USSR began being sentenced to forced labor even

when they committed no crime (Scherer 3). Stalin orchestrated this so

that he could more easily reform the Soviet economy, utilizing free

labor. Joseph Stalins reign of power was fueled by the misfortune of

those whom he abused.

People may disagree that immense power isnt often abused.

Some may argue that immense power is necessary and is not regularly
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abused. This may seem valid at a glance because if someone has lots

of power, then he may not abuse his power. This is false because

governments who place immense power in the hands of an individual

are destined to exemplify abuses of power. Even popes, known for their

humbleness, have abused their power. Some have orchestrated the

indirect sale of indulgences, payments to the Catholic Church that

purchased an exemption from penance for some types of sins. It is

merely ignorant to assume that an individual, with immense power, will

not abuse his power in a way that causes substantial harm.

The Party in 1984, Adolf Hitler in World War II, and Joseph Stalins

reign of power exemplify that immense power is a utility that is often

abused. The Party kept its citizens from holding their natural rights.

Adolf Hitler established concentration camps and attempted world

domination. Joseph Stalin established the Gulag, and condoned

wrongful convictions to establish a Communist economy. Immense

power is often abused at societys expense. Society should be

significantly concerned with individuals who possess power like those

aforementioned because they are a direct threat to the existence of

freedoms and possession of natural rights, which society glorifies, in

the world today.

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Works Cited

History.com Staff. Adolf Hitler. History.com, 2009, 1.

History.com Staff. The Holocaust. History.com, 2009, 1.

Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

Company, 1949.

Scherer, John L., and Michael Jakobson. The Collectivisation of

Agriculture and the Soviet Prison Camp System. vol. 45, no. 3,

1993.
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The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. Gulag. Britannica, 20 July

1998, 1.