1984

           Moreover,thelabouroftheexploitedpeoplesroundtheEquatorisnotreallynecessarytotheworld’seconomy. Theyaddnothingtothewealthoftheworld,sincewhatevertheyproduceisusedforpurposesofwar,andtheobjectofwagingawarisalwaystobeinabetterpositioninwhichtowageanotherwar. Bytheirlabourtheslavepopulationsallowthetempoofcontinuouswarfaretobespeededup. Butiftheydidnotexist,thestructureofworldsociety,andtheprocessbywhichitmaintainsitself,wouldnotbeessentiallydifferent. 

           Theprimaryaimofmodernwarfare(inaccordancewiththeprinciplesofDOUBLETHINK,thisaimissimultaneouslyrecognizedandnotrecognizedbythedirectingbrainsoftheInnerParty)istouseuptheproductsofthemachinewithoutraisingthegeneralstandardofliving. Eversincetheendofthenineteenthcentury,theproblemofwhattodowiththesurplusofconsumptiongoodshasbeenlatentinindustrialsociety. Atpresent,whenfewhumanbeingsevenhaveenoughtoeat,thisproblemisobviouslynoturgent,anditmightnothavebecomeso,evenifnoartificialprocessesofdestructionhadbeenatwork. Theworldoftodayisabare,hungry,dilapidatedplacecomparedwiththeworldthatexistedbefore1914,andstillmoresoifcomparedwiththeimaginaryfuturetowhichthepeopleofthatperiodlookedforward. Intheearlytwentiethcentury,thevisionofafuturesocietyunbelievablyrich,leisured,orderly,andefficient—aglitteringantisepticworldofglassandsteelandsnow-whiteconcrete—waspartoftheconsciousnessofnearlyeveryliterateperson. Scienceandtechnologyweredevelopingataprodigiousspeed,anditseemednaturaltoassumethattheywouldgoondeveloping.