Rebellion-The Party's Most Fatal Flaw

[Arielle]

The novel is all about rebellion. Winston starts a diary for rebllious thoughts. He then becomes concerned with not only his own rebellious feelings, but with organized resistance to the Party's rule. Julia, on the otherhand, is happy with private acts of rebellion, by engaging in sex and wearing makeup. Either way, Winston and Julia are not content with conformity to the Party's rule or principles. And, the Party devotes substantial resources to detecting rebellion and subversion. But, in my opinion, the Party's impossible doctrines drive Winston and Julia to engage in rebellious acts. Proving, that an overly oppressive state power often causes rebellion by giving its constituents the very causes for rebellion! This is the Party's biggest flaw!

In this society, what are the most dangerous forms of rebellion---Julia's preferred private acts, or Winston's organized resistance? Also, do you believe that rebellion is the most fatal flaw of the Party? If not, what is it?

(My answer to the latter question is stated above) As for the former, I keep changing my opinion, that is why I am asking you guys! Winston's organized rebellion will most likely never work, because it'd be impossible to organize such a thing without it becoming detected. Julia's private rebellions are not effective at all. In fact, I think they are just selfish acts. Thus, I am asking you guys.

[Catie]

I believe organized resistance would be the most deadly to the Party. As stated in Goldstein's book, the power lays with the Proles because they are the only people who could possibly organize themselves, fight back and make a difference. But, the Proles are too ignorant to rebel. Winston, being a member of the Party would not be able to be as successful as the Proles because he will be caught if he tries anything on a large scale (like he was). Julia's private acts do absolutely nothing to the Party. They end up only having to reprimand a few people and nothing comes of it.

On that note, no successful rebellion has occurred in the history of the Party being in power. They have shot down everything that could even hurt the party. As I said before, only the Proles can hurt the Party and the Party has kept them happy enough not to even think about rebelling. To answer the second part of the question, the Proles are the most fatal flaw. They can be controlled but if there is one slip up, the Party could cease to exist.

[Arielle]

That's a really interesting view.

[Shigeto]

I think a mob resistance is the most effective to the Party. Organized resistance can be destroyed, as the book suggests. O'Brian actually sided with the Party, and destroyed any aspect of resistance. Since organization needs to be secret, there will be little people involved because very little people have courage to ask others if they also hate big brother. With that said, organized resistance can be completely supressed if a couple of people turn their backs or confess in pressure of physical pain.
Mob resistance, on the other hand, is impossible to supress. Sincd it involves so many people, the Party can not distinguish who is in charge, because no one really is. This however, can only be achieved when the Party makes a slip up, as Catie says.

[Eitan]

To the question of how the Party would best be brought down we can look at history. Orwell based the Party and that society on a combination of the USSR and if communism took over Britain. The USSR did not collapse due to organized resistance such as Winston's but much more due to external forces. However the internal forces which had some of the largest effects were the black markets which sprung up throughout the Soviet Union due to its economic failings. In a way, it is more similar to the disorganized acts of rebellion which Julia does in that people just did what they needed to in order to get by rather than doing it because of ideological reasons.
I think that the most fatal flaw of the Party is that it is simply a minority controlling a majority. In most societies where a majority is ruled by a minority, the minority will eventually rebell. The Party seems very succesful at using technology to keep the Proles pacified but eventually some leaks will spring and the Proles will revolt. This will be intensified by another fatal flaw of the Party, the horrific economic situation it is in. From the few press releases that Winston has edited it is apparent that their economic system is unsustainable. Eventually the populace will become fed up with the increasing poverty and will rebel. The Party cannot maintain its power without money and it looks like they have a negative balance.