If you look closely at Saddam Hussein’s Regime you can see many similarities to that of “big brother” and “the party” in George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. Saddam Hussein was the dictator of Iraq much like Big Brother is the leader of the party. When he first came into power Saddam had 68 of his own party members killed. In Nineteen Eighty-Four the party kills any person outspoken against them without a second thought. The people under Saddam’s rule were very scared to speak out against him; they were promoted to spy on their neighbours and family and let the government know of any “unexplainable behaviour” or any one speaking out against Saddam. Saddam controlled all aspect of the media and moderated what his people herd, read and watched, much the same as big brother controls all aspects of the media and in fact of all knowledge in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

In Nineteen Eighty-Four there is an overwhelming on slot of propaganda, every where in the book there are references to the tellascreens , there are posters of Big Brother on every wall “ on each landing, opposite the shaft, the poster with enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move” (1984, pg 3) . In Saddam’s Iraq this was also very true. There were statues honouring him every where, posters lined walls and giant billboards screamed out his name, just like in “Air Strip One” where ever and Iraqi went in Baghdad it felt as if “Big Brother” (Saddam) was always there. In Nineteen Eighty-Four there were shortages of many things such as razorblades or shoes, even that of food and basic needs such as adequate living conditions, while the “inner party members” enjoyed real chocolate, well prepared food and wealthy living conditions.

These atrocities were also familiar in Iraq where Saddam and his sons lived like royalty, they had many cars and wives along with many mansions across the country, while the Iraqi people besides a few others the Saddam supported were living in poverty and inadequate conditions often with little food or water. Saddam, on his entrance into government and his becoming the president of Iraq he took control of the military and police forces. These forces were responsible for the murder of many innocent civilians and carried out Saddam’s biddings. Just as the infamous “thought police” in Nineteen Eighty-Four are always watching the people in airstrip one and executing people on accusations of anarchy, Saddam did the same. Mass amounts of his political rivals were murdered and any person who spoke out freely against him was arrested. Saddam like the two minutes hate in Nineteen Eighty-Four “As usual the face of Emmanuel Goldstien, the enemy of the people, had flashed onto the screen” (1984, pg13). Saddam gave the people of Iraq a common enemy to blame; this enemy was the United States, “We are ready to sacrifice our souls, our children and our families so as not to give up Iraq. We say this so no one will think that America is capable of breaking the will of the Iraqis with its weapons.” (Saddam Hussein). Blaming a common enemy for a countries problem is used often by dictators, and was common place in Saddam’s regime weather it was the Americans, Saudis or Iranians. Saddam Hussein may not have been Big Brother, but I believe he wanted to and was well on his way to achieving such a thing.