Topic Abstract When the Clocks Were Striking Thirteen: 1984 Non-Traditionals | Washington, D.C. | February 11-14, 2021 A Georgetown International Relations Association, Inc. Conference Dear Delegates and Advisors, Greetings from NAIMUN LVIII! The staff has been working hard to make the conference the most rewarding and educational experience yet, and we are excited to welcome you all to D.C. in February! This document is the topic abstract for When the Clocks Were Striking Thirteen: 1984. It contains three key elements to allow you to prepare well in advance for the committee: topic descriptions, questions to consider, and research avenues. This abstract will give you a better understanding of the committee’s content and procedures, and it can act as a starting point for further research. We hope to be of assistance to you in your preparation for NAIMUN LVIII. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact the Secretary- General, Director-General, or your Under-Secretaries-General. You may also contact your dais directly at [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming you to the NAIMUN family! Best, Alexander Chen Sanjna Jain Secretary-General Director-General [email protected] [email protected] Kate Reeves Hellen Kuang Under-Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General, Non-Traditionals Non-Traditionals [email protected] [email protected] Topic Abstract | naimun.modelun.org | 2 What is a Crisis Committee? Crisis Committees are markedly different from both GAs and ECOSOCs. They tend to focus on specific issues, geographic areas, and historical periods. For example, the Court of Louis XIV, 1665 simulates the peak years of King Louis XIV in power, tackling issues from the international expansion of the French empire to developing domestic institutions. In essence, crisis committees have a narrower and more specific focus, while GAs and ECOSOCs focus on broad global concepts and issues. Crisis committees also have the distinguishing characteristic of portfolio powers, where delegates have and can use individual powers that are part of their bio in order to shape the “world” they interact in. Crisis committees also include crisis updates, which are unplanned “crises” that delegates must resolve through debate and directives. Last, crisis committees are the smallest of committees, usually with less than 30 delegates per committee. They tend to be faster-paced and more dynamic than assemblies with set topics. Adapted from “NAIMUN Delegate Training Guide” Topics Overview The primary goal of this committee is to lead a successful insurgency from scratch against the English Socialist Party (“the Party”) set in the world of George Orwell’s 1984. Although this committee is not one operating in the real world, it is expected that delegates will approach the simulation with the same sense of practicality and reasonability as with any other crisis committee. This committee is unique in that delegate positions will remain anonymous unless revealed by delegates themselves (which may be truthful or not), adding an additional component of balancing interpersonal skills and personalities to the challenges of the weekend. Guiding Questions 1. What are the primary discontents of this resistance against the Party? Are your individual grievances in agreement with those of the committee as a whole? 2. What is the most effective means of accomplishing a successful insurgency? Is cooperation necessary to achieve the goal of the organization? If so, how would you find and achieve cooperation within a perilous, anonymous environment? 3. What limitations present themselves in the world of 1984 that would not otherwise be of concern? How do you plan to navigate restrictions such as resource rations, constant surveillance, and a lack of trust between comrades? 1984 | naimun.modelun.org | 3 Topic A: Totalitarian Governments and Civil Liberties Totalitarian governments are those in which the government exerts unbridled control over individuals and demand not only conformity but active allegiance to those in power. George Orwell’s 1984 is set in such a political system, where members are classified into strata consisting of those in power, those to be controlled, and those who are not worth controlling. The individuals subject to the most stringent policies and surveillance by Ingsoc’s government and trusted Inner Party are members of the, creatively dubbed, Outer Party. Between the Ministry of Plenty’s rations, the Ministry of Truth’s unending praise for Ingsoc’s commitment to the hegemony of Oceania, it is difficult to imagine an aspect of life in Airstrip One not controlled in some capacity. While a plethora of civil liberties considered to be basic rights in much of the modern world are foregone in Orwell’s literary experiment, principle of them the freedom of speech, Ingsoc’s reach extends far beyond the imaginable to restrict perhaps the most private and sacred liberties of humanity: the freedom of thought. Attributable to the distinctive two-way Telescreens’ constant surveillance of citizens and the institutionalization of the Thought Police, citizens are fed propaganda with the government watching their every move until they have internalized the message. It is your decision to determine how to fight for your freedoms and whether doing so is worth the risk. Questions to Consider for Further Research 1. What compels the Party to deprive its citizens of civil liberties and freedoms? What are the many ways it accomplishes this goal, and how can they be thwarted? 2. In historical examples where citizens fought for their civil liberties against oppressive governments, what were some of the most important freedoms they sought to retain/reclaim, and why? 3. How does your specific portfolio (your occupation within Ingsoc) further the Party’s mission of eliminating civil liberties? If you’re a Prole, how does the existence of the Prole class perpetuate the Party’s mission of eliminating civil liberties? Topic Abstract | naimun.modelun.org | 4 Topic B: Collective Action and Public Organization Collective action is, in fact, a core tenet of Ingsoc’s political philosophy. However, as clearly outlined in Goldstein’s The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, the collectivism found in Ingsoc is purely one for the ruling class, otherwise known as the Inner Party. Public Organization is directed by the Party, where a command economy and stringent regulations for daily life dominate and equalize all Outer Party members. Through the illusion of collective action and order, the Party has been successful in controlling the present, monopolizing truth, and eliminating individuality and the ability to reason beyond what is spoon-fed by the Party. In the world of 1984, the social structure is divided into three distinct stratas: the Inner Party, the Outer Party, and the Proles. As explained above, the Inner Party makes up the “oligarchy” that rules the masses. It is near impossible, in the world of 1984 as presented in the novel, for any citizen of Oceania to break from this mold and rebel; consequently, any public organization afforded to the citizens is nothing more than what the Party has engineered for its own benefit. However, for any rebellion to succeed, the public must turn against the government as a collective entity desiring a new system of governance or leadership; otherwise, the rebellion would be reduced to nothing more than a failed uprising. Questions to Consider for Further Research 1. A successful resistance will require more than twenty-four people, the number of members in this committee. What do case studies of past rebellions against authoritarian governments reveal, and how can those lessons be applied in the world of 1984, if appropriate? 2. Every delegate in this committee potentially has different reasons for his or her resistance against the Party. How would you go about cooperating with others towards a common end goal when you have different philosophies regarding how to get there? 3. Many individuals in the world of 1984 are like Parsons — complacent and loyal to Ingsoc. How would you incite someone like Parsons to rebel against the Party? 1984 | naimun.modelun.org | 5 Resources for Further Research The bulk of background material in this committee will originate from the original novel and screenplay adaptation of 1984. The following additional resources have been included to help broaden your understanding of the work. To clarify, they are not guaranteed to be themes included in the discourse of the weekend. Primary Resources: Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classics, 1977. Original novel by George Orwell from which background information and committee setting will be derived. Radford, Michael, dir. 1984. 1985; N.P.: Virgin Films. Most recent film adaptation of novel. Anderson, Michael, dir. 1984. 1956; N.P.: Holiday Film Productions Ltd. Original film adaptation of novel. Additional Resources: Enteen, George M. “George Orwell and the Theory of Totalitarianism: A 1984 Retrospective.” The Journal of General Education 36, no. 3 (1984): 206-15. www.jstor. org/stable/27797000. Pankowski, Edward. “We Love Big Brother: An Analysis of the Relationship between Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four And Modern Politics in the United States and Europe.” Honor Scholar Theses (2018). https://opencommons.uconn.edu/srhonors_ theses/559?utm_source=opencommons.uconn.edu%2Fsrhonors_theses%2F559&utm_ medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages. Topic Abstract | naimun.modelun.org | 6 A Georgetown International Relations Association, Inc. Conference.