1984

           TheaimoftheLow,whentheyhaveanaim—foritisanabidingcharacteristicoftheLowthattheyaretoomuchcrushedbydrudgerytobemorethanintermittentlyconsciousofanythingoutsidetheirdailylives —istoabolishalldistinctionsandcreateasocietyinwhichallmenshallbeequal. Thusthroughouthistoryastrugglewhichisthesameinitsmainoutlinesrecursoverandoveragain. ForlongperiodstheHighseemtobesecurelyinpower,butsoonerorlatertherealwayscomesamomentwhentheyloseeithertheirbeliefinthemselvesortheircapacitytogovernefficiently,orboth. TheyarethenoverthrownbytheMiddle,whoenlisttheLowontheirsidebypretendingtothemthattheyarefightingforlibertyandjustice. Assoonastheyhavereachedtheirobjective,theMiddlethrusttheLowbackintotheiroldpositionofservitude,andthemselvesbecometheHigh. PresentlyanewMiddlegroupsplitsofffromoneoftheothergroups,orfrombothofthem,andthestrugglebeginsoveragain. Ofthethreegroups,onlytheLowarenevereventemporarilysuccessfulinachievingtheiraims. Itwouldbeanexaggerationtosaythatthroughouthistorytherehasbeennoprogressofamaterialkind. Eventoday,inaperiodofdecline,theaveragehumanbeingisphysicallybetteroffthanhewasafewcenturiesago. Butnoadvanceinwealth,nosofteningofmanners,noreformorrevolutionhaseverbroughthumanequalityamillimetrenearer. FromthepointofviewoftheLow,nohistoricchangehasevermeantmuchmorethanachangeinthenameoftheirmasters. 

           Bythelatenineteenthcenturytherecurrenceofthispatternhadbecomeobvioustomanyobservers. Therethenroseschoolsofthinkerswhointerpretedhistoryasacyclicalprocessandclaimedtoshowthatinequalitywastheunalterablelawofhumanlife.