What is history but a fable agreed upon?
History is written by winners, when they recount their side of the story, the loser is always shown in a bad light. History is a story written by the winners to account for their actions as the losers have no say.
1984 is a dystopian novel written by famed author George Orwell. It talks about how the government can twist the truth according to its will and the power the hold because of it.
“Those who control the present, control the past and those who control the past control the future.”
― George Orwell, 1984
Native Americans are often termed as “immigrants” or “outsiders” by the white skinned citizens in America. What they fail to realise is the Native Americans are the original residents of the land and the white skinned citizens are the immigrants. When the british beat the Native Americans in the war and took their land and resources, they set up a colony in the Americas. So according to history when they won the war they became the original residents of the land even though they are the settlers. As it is said, history is written by winners.
The ability to rule in the future entirely depends on the hold of your past. Having history favour you is one of the most essential reasons to maintain power in the future.
In the novel “Big Brother” (the utilitarian government) changes the course of history at it’s whim. It will get all the old newspapers re-written and republished to support it’s claim and the citizen’s are none the wiser. It uses this power to help direct and control the population to meet it’s propaganda.
Let me give you a present day example. All the rivalries between the nations today have only been carried forward because of how history was written. If it was never mentioned India and Pakistan have never been at war and have peaceful relations since the start of independence, there will be little or no motive for the newer generations to carry on the animosity and continue to rivalry. History holds the power to change the course of the future.
To control history one needs complete power to control the truth and twist it at their will. North Korea is a prime example for this. The country only has information provided by the government as all other external sources are blocked and controlled. This allows the government to change the truth according to their will. To achieve said independence of the masses, censorship and propaganda begin at a young age. North Korean children learn the history of the three Kim leaders – Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un – starting in preschool. They are taught about their bravery in battle and the excellent leadership. This helps them in gaining the support needed to rule the country in the foreseeable future.
When Kim Jong Un’s uncle Jang Song Thaek was executed, thousands of documents which referred to him by name had been erased. For them he never existed. So the word “traitor” never comes to mind because there never was one. He was completely erased.
To completely defeat an enemy is to completely destroy them from history. Losers are not those who are mentioned in the history books stating that they lost, the real losers are those who have never been mentioned at all. They just ceased to exist. No defeat is worse than not existing at all, no record of their proof, just nothing. As generations pass they are forgotten as if they were never there at all.
But the control of the universal truth is very minimal and not easy to influence anymore. It is not possible to condition everyone’s thinking to fulfil a propaganda. No one is listening all the time and we have free speech now. Right?
How to control the universal truth –
How to condition everyone to fulfil a propaganda –
Are we being constantly monitored –
What we also forget is History has a tendency to repeat itself!
My dreams are big. My mistakes? Bigger.
