"That we are being propelled in the direction of Brave New World is obvious. But no less obvious is the fact that we
can, if we so desire, refuse to cooperate with the blind forces that are propelling us." -Aldous Huxley
In 1958, Huxley published the follow-up essay Brave New World, Revisited to elaborate on some of the predictions in
Brave New World, because the issues were becoming a reality. Huxley's predictions in Brave New World include
subconscious suggestion, totalitarianism dictatorships, overpopulation, consumption of drugs, and genetic engineering.
Subconscious Persuasion
In Brave New World, Huxley describes hypnopaedia, a form of subconscious persuasion. In the novel, a soothing voice
plays underneath children’s pillows as they sleep. The voice tells the children suggestions that will make them obey
society and not rebel against it.
Huxley predicted that hypnopaedia would someday control the masses. In reality, hypnopaedia did not become popular but other
forms of subconscious persuasion have, such as subliminal advertising and hypnosis.
A subliminal message is a signal embedded in advertisements designed to pass below the normal limits of perception. A person’s
subconscious is able to understand the meaning of the message when the conscious mind does not pick it up. For example, the
videos below:
Did you see the word "RAT" when "Bureaucrats Decide" flew in? It happened at 0:24 in the video.
Hypnosis is another form of subconscious persuasion. The subconscious is wide-awake and ready to receive suggestions. During
hypnosis, a person is more susceptible to following suggestions. Today, hypnosis is used as therapy or entertainment.
These are some fast facts about Hypnosis:
1. A person cannot be hypnotized if they do not want to
2. A short period of hypnosis is equal to hours of sleep
3. It is impossible to remain hypnotized forever
4. While hypnotized, a person will not act against their morals
Hitler and Stalin’s Totalitarianism Government
Throughout Brave New World, Huxley even alludes to totalitarian dictators. To name a few, Bernard Marx is an allusion to Karl
Marx- the founder of socialism, Lenina is an allusion to Lenin- the first head of the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic, and
Benito Hoover alluded to Benito Mussolini- a dictator of Italy. Briefly, Huxley mentions a little girl named Polly Trotsky;
she alludes to Leon Trotsky, the Marxist theorist.
When Huxley wrote Brave New World Revisited, he was disturbed the totalitarianism government he warned about in Brave New
World was taking form. For example, Stalin and Hitler’s reigns.
Although Stalin and Hitler disliked each other, the men had a number of things in common:
1. Both men were the top leaders of their country.
2. Both men used propaganda in a manipulative manner, like Brave New World
3. Both men were tremendous manipulators. They manipulated the minds of their countries’ people to think their way
was the best way, like the government in Brave New World
-'The seed of peace, not dragon's teeth' cartoon of Hitler, from the magazine Kladderadatsch, 22 March 1936. A theme
for Hitler's propaganda was that he was a man of peace, and not war.
Stalin
Biography:
Stalin was the leader of the U.S.S.R. from 1929 to 1953. In 1922, he rose to power as the secretary general of the Communist
Party. He deemed his rivals as deviationists and had them executed. His political platform was based on industrialization
and collectivization. Collectivization killed 14.5 million people and forced independent farmers to work on state farms.
During the Great Purge in the 1930’s, more than half of the Communist Party died from Stalin’s purges. After
Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, Stalin met with Winston Churchhill, British Prime Minister, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and
Roosevelt’s successor, Harry S. Truman. The men divided the postwar world into “spheres of influence.”
When Stalin died, tyranny changed universally. Stalin tried to control the Soviet Union using force and terror. In the
late 1950’s, post-Stalin, the Soviet Bloc used rewards to control people- as Brave New World did. For example, in a
capitalist society the market economy distributes benefits, whereas under Stalin, economic and societal benefits, such as
cars, houses, and jobs were distributed based on loyalty to Stalin and the communist party.
Stalin once said,” Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.”
The freedom in Brave New World relates to this quote. In Brave New World, Mustafa Mond has a safe full of literature, such
as Shakespeare, deemed illegal; the only accessible books were those of reference type. The feelings expressed by Shakespeare’s
writing do not exist in the World State since feelings are sacrificed for social stability, therefore making literature an
unnecessary waste of productive time. Because John in Brave New World has access to Shakespeare’s complete works, he
has the “weapon” of rebellion- the knowledge that something else other than a totalitarianism government exists.
Similarities of Stalin’s Reign and Brave New World:
-Stalin
Anti-Stalin material was censored
-Brave New World
Literature was censored
-Stalin
Continuous Propaganda such as statues and pictures
-Brave New World
Continuous Propaganda such as being fed hypnopaedic phrases
-Stalin
History books were written that dignified and praised Stalin
-Brave New World
Reference novels were written concealing real truths
Hitler
Hitler was the founder of Nazism. Nazism is based on racist nationalism, national expansion, and state control of the economy.
Hitler used his speeches to gain supporters and the control of the Nazi Party.
Biography:
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Austria. His family moved to Passau when he was only three years old. He moved
to Vienna, a large Jewish community after his mother’s death from breast cancer.
Hitler’s hate for foreigners, especially Slavs, grew after a Serb assassinated Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian
Empire. During World War I, Hitler served in France and Belgium in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment. After war, he was
awarded two Iron Crosses, which are a symbol of bravery. An enemy fire in October of 1916 injured Hitler and he was rushed
to a Berlin hospital.
While Hitler was recovering from his medical problem, Communist fueled insurrections were going on in Germany. Some leaders
of these unsuccessful revolutions were Jewish, fueling Hitler’s scorn towards Communists and Jews. When World War I
ended, The Treaty of Versailles left Germany with the blame of the war.
Germany became a republic. Soon after the war, Hitler was recruited to a military intelligence unit, which assigned him to
keep an eye on the German Worker’s Party. Hitler became a member of the club, and his increasing hatred for Jews became
its political platform. The club soon because a real political party. The turning point of Hitler’s career was a speech
given on October 16, 1919; donations poured into the German Worker’s Party’s hands. He then created a party program
consisting of twenty-five “points”. The points revoked the Treaty of Versailles and expelled Jews who emigrated
to Germany after the war began. The Party’s name was changed to The National Socialist German Worker's Party (Nazi)
and the swastika was adopted as the party’s symbol.
Hitler became a citizen of Germany in 1932 and tried to rise to power constitutionally. He spoke using his oratorical powers,
calling out people to resist against Jews and Communists. The Nazi Party won 18% of the popular vote in the election of 1930,
and 30% in 1932. On January 30, 1933, Paul von Hindenburg selected Hitler as chancellor of Germany. Hindenburg died that
year so Hitler took over his role of President of Germany, Ultimately, he warped the role of chancellor and president into
one position, the Führer.
After gaining power, Hitler placed those who did not agree with his views into concentration camps. He created propaganda
and blamed Jews and Communists for all problems. He was able to annex Austria in 1938 with ease and invaded Poland on September
1, 1939. Because of the invasion of Poland, France and England declared war on Germany. Hitler committed suicide on April
30, 1945.
Overpopulation
Our world today is severely overpopulated. Overpopulation is calculated by using the ratio of population: sustainable resources.
If population is greater than resources, the area is considered overpopulated. When Huxley wrote the Brave New World in 1958,
he believed overpopulation was a critical issue. In Brave New World, overpopulation is controlled; humans are produced and
not conceived, the use of contraceptives is drilled into the fertile women’s brains, and seventy percent of the female
population is created sterile. Huxley was extremely noble to warn people about this issue.
- Birth control distribution in third-world countries is low
- Medical advances and genetic engineering help to decrease present day morality rates
- Medical advances and genetic engineering help to increase present day births
Genetic Engineering
Both Brave New World and the present day world use genetic engineering to enhance genetics. In Brave New World,
babies are produced in a laboratory and then decanted from a bottle when fully grown. This process takes the place of a mother
nurturing a baby inside her womb and then lastly giving birth. Similarly, today babies can be produced in vitro fertilization,
or IVF. In vitro fertilization is a process where egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside of a woman’s body.
Another example of how Brave New World warns against genetic engineering is the Bokanovsky’s process. Using
the Bokanovsky’s Process, ninety six identical babies can be created. These days, vegetables are cloned.
As stated above in the Overpopulation article, genetic engineering is a reason more people are alive because it allows people
who are infertile to have children.
Works Cited:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/stalin/
http://www.poleshift.org/sublim/egs/Subliminal_Suggestion.html
http://www.johndclare.net/Russ12.htm
