Stalin and TrotskyAs Related to 1984 and Foreward by Thomas

Pynchon

By: Jenna Floyd

Leon Trotsky

Trotsky was born in 1879 and grew up with his father, who was a Jewish farmer.

Leon TrotskyAfter escaping from exile, Trotsky became friends with Vladimir Lenin and met him in London in 1902. He joined the Bolshevik party after being a part of several other committees.

Vladimir Lenin

Leon TrotskyTrotsky was a gifted orator and writer, allowing him to

eloquently speak his ideas in front of his fellow party members.

Joseph StalinBorn in 1879 to the name of Dzhugashvili, Stalin became a revolutionist and joined a Marxist Society (Mesame-Dasi.)

Joseph Stalin

Stalin was a strong supporter of theBolshevik party, though he was only aneditor for the party paper, the Pravda.

Joseph StalinAfter a February Revolution, Stalin became a

temporary leader of the Bolshevik party.

He was ruthless in trying to force Trotsky out of the limelight. However, Stalin let his friends do the “dirty work,” while Stalin was still ‘friends’ with

Trotsky.

Trotsky and Emmanuel Goldstein

(1984)Interesting connections can be made between Trotsky and Goldstein. First, Trotsky was a Jewish man, as was Goldstein. Also, Trotsky’s real name was Bronstein. Emmanuel was eventually overthrown by Big Brother in “1984,” and Trotsky was removed from the War Commissariat in 1925, and was seated in the background while Stalin took over.

Stalin and Big Brother (1984)

In the book “1984,” Stalin resembled Big Brother, from his actions to the posters described of him (the dark eyes and large mustache see Forward.)

Stalin and Big Brother (1984)

According to the forward, Big Brother held a ‘regime of fascism’ with one dictator with total control of behavior. Stalin’s rule was of one similar to Big Brother. He controlled the people and dominated the Soviet Union, orchestrating famines to thin out the populations. This is much like “1984” in which they cut back the chocolate ration, but made everyone think they had raised it. The proles were also much like the proletarians under Stalin’s rule.

Stalin and Big Brother (1984)

In the 1930s, Stalin had the “Great Purge,” in which he got rid of all of the people who put him into power. He had around 1.2 million people arrested, and 600,000 tortured. It resembles the arrests the Thought Police set into motion, and how people were tortured in the Ministry of Love and Room 101.

The End