In 1949, George Orwell wrote one of the most influential and relevant books of scientific fiction of modern times. The book criticizes the rule of totalitarian governments using subtle and not-so-subtle satire. The book reveals the dangers of a government gaining too much power over its citizens. The government can abuse its abundance of authority by controlling all media available to citizens. In 1984, Orwell fears government control of the media because it contributed to the brainwashing and control of citizens in Nazi Germany and the USSR and today continues to inhibit free will and thought in areas such as China and Russia. Several times throughout 1984, Orwell highlights the dangers of the government having total control of the media. The government keeps the vast prole population under tight control by producing all the media they have access to. Referring to the Party's control of the media, he states that "the main task was not to reconstruct the past but to provide the citizens of Oceania... with every kind of information imaginable (Orwell 43)." Orwell fears that this control over the provision of all information, announced and disseminated through the media, will lead to mindless citizens and brainwashed children. Winston's work at the Ministry of Truth makes it “now impossible for any human being to prove by documentary evidence that war with Eurasia ever occurred (Orwell 183).” Government control over history leads citizens to easily believe what they hear in the media and even if someone doesn't believe it there is nothing they can do to disprove it. This control of history reveals the powerful truth that “he who controls the past controls the future (Orwell 248).” When the government is able to control... half the paper... it means promoting freedom of thought. Works Cited Denyer, Simon. “Chinese Journalists Face Tougher Censorship and Marxist Retraining.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, January 10, 2014. Web. May 16, 2014. .Macfarquhar, Neil. “Russia quietly tightens reins of the web with 'blogger law'.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, May 6, 2014. Web. May 16, 2014. “Nazi Propaganda and Censorship.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Network. 16 May 2014. .Newth, Mette. "The long history of censorship". Lighthouse for freedom of expression. National Library of Norway, 2010. Web. 16 May 2014. .Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet, 1950. Print.