1984

           Butthoughitisunrealitisnotmeaningless. Iteatsupthesurplusofconsumablegoods,andithelpstopreservethespecialmentalatmospherethatahierarchicalsocietyneeds. War,itwillbeseen,isnowapurelyinternalaffair. Inthepast,therulinggroupsofallcountries,althoughtheymightrecognizetheircommoninterestandthereforelimitthedestructivenessofwar,didfightagainstoneanother,andthevictoralwaysplunderedthevanquished. Inourowndaytheyarenotfightingagainstoneanotheratall. Thewariswagedbyeachrulinggroupagainstitsownsubjects,andtheobjectofthewarisnottomakeorpreventconquestsofterritory,buttokeepthestructureofsocietyintact. Theveryword‘war’,therefore,hasbecomemisleading. Itwouldprobablybeaccuratetosaythatbybecomingcontinuouswarhasceasedtoexist. ThepeculiarpressurethatitexertedonhumanbeingsbetweentheNeolithicAgeandtheearlytwentiethcenturyhasdisappearedandbeenreplacedbysomethingquitedifferent. Theeffectwouldbemuchthesameifthethreesuper-states,insteadoffightingoneanother,shouldagreetoliveinperpetualpeace,eachinviolatewithinitsownboundaries. Forinthatcaseeachwouldstillbeaself-containeduniverse,freedforeverfromthesoberinginfluenceofexternaldanger. Apeacethatwastrulypermanentwouldbethesameasapermanentwar. This—althoughthevastmajorityofPartymembersunderstanditonlyinashallowersense—istheinnermeaningofthePartyslogan:WARISPEACE. 

           Winstonstoppedreadingforamoment. Somewhereinremotedistancearocketbombthundered. Theblissfulfeelingofbeingalonewiththeforbiddenbook,inaroomwithnotelescreen,hadnotwornoff. Solitudeandsafetywerephysicalsensations,mixedupsomehowwiththetirednessofhisbody,thesoftnessofthechair,thetouchofthefaintbreezefromthewindowthatplayeduponhischeek.