When Stalinism thrived, domineering dictators yearned for power. Sinister desires for unlimited power caused corrupted politics to permeate society, casting a shadow on citizens. George Orwell's creation in 1949, 1984, is set thirty years in the future. Its criticism of totalitarianism and emphasis on the destructive effects of absolute regime control are reflected in current society.
 
In the imaginary, dystopian society of 1984, the world is occupied by three superstates - Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia - that are in a perpetual state of war with the goal of world hegemony. In Oceania, Big Brother leads the Party, which rules the country through a totalitarian system. The citizens' freedom is constrained by the established laws, which prohibit exercising basic human rights: fornicating without the aim of procreation, expressing personal thoughts, accessing historical records, and assembling for protest are all banned. To monitor the citizens' behavior, the government instigates a rigorous monitoring system that strengthens the Party's power and deters people from violating the Party's teaching. Additionally, through the manipulation of media, the Party either rewrites or deletes history once the rulers deem that the information serves no purpose.
 
Winston Smith, the protagonist, is one of the few who recognizes the oppressiveness and rejects the blind pursuit of conformity. From keeping a diary to falling in love with Julia, his rebellion against the Party's rule is driven by his loathing and outrage. Nonetheless, he realizes that people are powerless to overthrow the Party. The working class members of Oceania are called "proles," and although they make up 85% of the population, they are not subject to the Party's surveillance. Unfortunately, their "luck" originated from their ignorance of society's evil nature, implying that they lack the motive for revenge. Consequently, though he initially expected the proles to initiate a revolt, Winston eventually realizes that the fulfillment of his wish is unattainable. In a hopeless state, Winston concludes, "Until they become conscious, they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled, they cannot become conscious." This irony forces Winston to realize his sole option is to join the Brotherhood, an organization that aims to conduct counter-revolutionary activities. Nevertheless, conspiracy has permeated the organization. O'Brien, the leader of the Brotherhood, is commissioned to transform the Brotherhood into a platform where the identity of betrayers of Big Brother is exposed. When O'Brien discovers his intention to join the Brotherhood, he considers Winston a traitor, so he imprisons and tortures Winston. As a result, Winston's self-esteem and individuality are shattered. During the O'Brien's torment, Winston is compelled to betray Julia and comply with the Party's ideology. The satirical story ends with Winston's blank stare at the image of Big Brother, symbolizing his full transformation into a puppet of the Party.
 
Orwell reveals the effects of totalitarianism on society through various events. First, Orwell addresses the right to privacy: citizens have zero privacy, suggesting that their thoughts and behaviors are always exposed to the Party through the monitoring equipment that is placed in every citizen's private space. Traitorous thoughts can be exposed by one's behaviors, words, or even facial expressions. Today, violating one's privacy, due to data leaks or software monitoring, for example, has become more common, a testament to Orwell's predictions. In the novel, children are encouraged to report acts of betrayal, even if the betrayers are their parents. For example, one evening when Winston was visiting his neighbor, Tom Parsons, the children "menace him with a toy automatic pistol," declaring Winston "a traitor... a thought-criminal... a Eurasian spy." Orwell's statement about the full influence of "a party's" propaganda is seen through the children's cruelty, as their father is put to death because of their reporting. With the Party's propaganda brainwashing the future generation, children consider familial bonds and social relations inferior to Big Brother's authority. Under the circumstances in which the Party's censorship even extends to family members and intimate friends, people stand "nakedly" before the Party.
 
Orwell's text also reveals the consequences of not heeding the lessons of history. In 1984, historical events that contradict the Party's teachings are altered, regardless of their historical significance and authenticity. For example, when O'Brien tortures Winston, he forces Winston to go along with the Party's ideology that Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia, neglecting the historical record that portrays Oceania's alliance with Eastasia in the past. Oceania's declaration of war on Eastasia came abruptly after a war with Eurasia, which did not yield any results. According to the narration, "When the general hatred of Eurasia had boiled up into such delirium...—at just this moment it had been announced that Oceania was not after all at war with Eurasia. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Eurasia was an ally." In the real world today, people are exposed to an overwhelming amount of information, including falsehoods that comply with political propaganda, portraying how alternative forms of totalitarianism are present in our society. For instance, in the 2020 United States presidential election, manipulated videos that misrepresented candidates were spread on social media, distorting the public's views toward candidates' backgrounds, policies, etc. Technology contributed to the process, as shown in how bots promoted false political propaganda, making it appear more influential.
The distortion of truth is further shown in Orwell's characterization of O'Brien. As a representative of the Party, O'Brien denies universal truths; he states that two and two make five and that the universe revolves around Earth. Reality becomes fragile and alterable, for the individual mind is forbidden to perceive or store truth. Meanwhile, the Party, "which is collective and immortal," is the only place where reality exists. Totalitarianism destroys not only people's privacy and freedom but also ideologies and facts that portray history and the truth. At the beginning of his trial, Winston refuses to comply with misinformation. However, under physical and mental torment, he transforms into a tamed citizen. His evolution foreshadows what every opponent of the Party is likely to experience.
 
Orwell's final purpose is to suggest that totalitarianism is unchangeable when the people are deemed powerless. O'Brien plays a paradoxical role, in which he authored a book that forms the core of the Brotherhood, implying his thorough understanding of the Party's hypocrisy and conspiracy. However, with the knowledge of his incapability to change the status quote, the essential figure of the Brotherhood chooses to side with the Party. Moreover, while wandering around the proles' neighborhood, Winston discovers that most people devote their life to playing the lottery and drinking alcohol, disclosing the pathetic truth – individuals who are freed from the Party's surveillance will never notice totalitarianism's detriments to society, but still live a sad and purposeless existence. The rebels struggle to unite or to find a leader; thus, they join the Brotherhood. Nonetheless, when O'Brien, the core of the Brotherhood, is revealed as a Party member who infiltrated the group, the Brotherhood collapses. Winston represents the Party's effect on rebels – he is tortured and brainwashed until agrees with the Party's teachings. In a totalitarian society, the minority can never overthrow the Party, enabling the severe impacts of totalitarianism to be perpetuated forever.
 
1984 warns us about the effects of totalitarianism, which applies to real life due to the presence of Stalinism, extreme communism, and some ideologies that are emerging in the twenty-first century. If citizens tolerate the development of these political systems, they will eventually be unable to control them, which will lead to the manipulation of ideologies, and ultimately, the deprivation of people's human and civil rights.