The book ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ was published in 1949 and later became a film starring Richard Burton. Set in the future, it was reportedly the last published work by British author George Orwell and tells the story of a corrupt, sadistic and repressive regime.
The main character grew up during an atomic war and wants to do his own thing. The thought police arrive and he is taken away and tortured until he agrees that they are right even when they are wrong. He is told that he will survive but remember nothing, that his memory will be obliterated and he will have no future. The thought police, thought to be equated to the military police arrive when the man’s behaviour begins to attract attention. He had already murdered a girl, gotten a room with another and was behaving strangely.
Set in Oceania, the proletariat lived in their own areas and were controlled by media, newspeak and constant surveillance. Controlled protest groups were formed to deal with dissent. Socialism was demonised. People with other political ideas apologised publicly saying they were sick and had a mental condition. A major enemy of the state was said to be a former member of the inner party who wrote a fictional book entitled ‘The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism’. Oligarchy was said to need poverty in order to survive. There were ongoing wars.