1. Mr. Wilson – English 536

2. Context is when you get a little bit of background info on not only the author, but about the history of the era in question; the intended audience and the culture from which the work came form.

4.  Born in British India, he attended Eton College, received numerous scholarships for his writing but returned to Burma to work as a policeman.  He also worked as teacher before he fought in the Spanish Civil war (1936-1939), injured by a sniper he returned to England.  He married, and started writing again using the pen name “George Orwell.”

5.  His first book, Animal Farm, was written in response to the actions of Joseph Stalin leading up to the outbreak of WWII.  It was an overnight success.

6.  Nineteen Eighty-Four was published in 1949,  It features a dystopian society.  Considering the post-WWII climate and the Cold War between the USSR and the USA, Nineteen Eighty-Four has become the classic political novel.  Furthermore, Orwell’s creation of the Oceanic society has left a huge mark even on our vernacular speech; like the popular TV show “Big Brother.”

9. Dystopia? Cold War? Stalin?

10. What really motivated Orwell to write Nineteen Eighty-Four?

11.  It is 1917…WWI has been going on for almost 3 years.

12.  Before the Revolution, Russia was run by the Tsar (which means “King” or royal family.)  There was some democracy within the Tsarist regime, but it was only an elected body which was allowed to “advise” the throne.  This elected group was called the Duma.

15.  March 1917  The Duma assumes control of the country, easily done considering the Tsar's forces were all in Germany fighting.  They created a provisional government in St-Petersburg.  Tsar Nicholas II abdicated (gave up the throne) and left the provisional government to fend for itself.

17.  At this point, Russian Soldiers are trying to get home from the German Front, and the army itself was not entirely in control.  As a result, a sort of dual-power formed, with the provisional government on one side, and a group of socialists on the other.  The final straw was when the provisional government decided to keep fighting in Germany…

19.  November 1917 Vladimir Lenin!  The Bolshevik Party (the socialists) led by the one, THE ONLY: Vladimir Lenin! took control from the provisional government.  They signed a treaty with Germany ending Russia’s involvement in WWII.  They also formed the Cheka (secret police) to try a squash any dissent.

22.  Lenin suffered a stroke in 1922.  In his writings about Russia’s new socialist government, he vehemently criticized Stalin’s policies, and begged that he not hold any power.  However, Stalin out manoeuvred Lenin, and when Lenin died of a heart attack – Stalin assumed control with the help of his friends: namely Trotsky.

23.  Stalin was now in control of the new Bolshevik Communist Russia, even though his official title was “Chairman of the Central Committee.”  He then started his various policies of Collectivisation and Industrialization, as well as increasing the size of the secret police.  What were they called again?

25.  How did Stalin get so much power?  Stalin had the tendency to “purge” the Politburo and send his opposition to forced labour camps, and then execute them.  This was also attained by cutting “counter- revolutionaries” out of Russian history.

26. BEFOREAFTER

27.  Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy and Stalinist Russia are all examples of totalitarian regimes.  What do they all have in common?  Are there any totalitarian regimes in effect now?  Why are ideas like Socialism and Communism associated with this type of Government?

29. Orwell designed the futuristic world of Oceania as a Dystopian setting for his novel. Why? Because exaggeration is a very good way of drawing people’s attention to things that are really messed up – like Russia was under Stalin

30.  Utopia is a name for an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system.  Which would make a Dystopia the complete opposite…

31. (oh yeah.)