The party maintains complete control over the citizens of Oceania. The government is broken up into separate ministries: " the Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty" (Orwell 8). Big Brother is the dictator of the Party and the government and is considered omnipresent although he is never seen in person.
The governing party is generally concerned with what goes on in the lives of the civilians, including their personal lives. The party therefore monitors mass communications and controls all of the ways that the citizens receive information. Books, newspapers, magazines, movies, even radio and television broadcasts, are controlled by the party and centered around their beliefs. The publishers, writers, actors, and actresses are usually required to be members of the party. In 1984, the Party is in compete control of all publications and any announcements that are made. In having this much power over the media, the Party is able to manipulate the people to keep them loyal to Big Brother, the party leader. For complete subjection of the population, the leading party must use advanced technological and scientific means. In 1984, the Party necessitates the use of telescreens in the homes of all citizens except for the Proles. The telescreen is a tool that the Party uses to "receive and transmit simultaneously. Any sound Winston made would be picked up by it; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision he could be seen as well as heard" (Orwell 6). In short, the Party uses the telescreens to provide other party members with information but also to watch them.
The establishment of totalitarian regimes in the course of history usually followed some sort of political and social upheaval. This is evident when taking into consideration World War I and the effects. The chaos which followed WWI allowed totalitarian governments to be founded in Russia, Italy, and Germany.