Socialism vs. Capitalism Socialism, or the way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government, plays a large role in our novel 1984 by George Orwell. Socialism is the opposite of the word Capitalism, which can be defined as an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit. One could compare socialism to a dictatorship, and capitalism to a democracy. In 1984, we see a socialist society, in which the government controls everything around the people’s lives such as what they buy, what they eat, what they watch, etc. In this socialistic society there is a great divide between the rich and the poor. These rich men, known as capitalists lived in great, beautiful houses, were well fed, and wore clothing…show more content… These capitalists were richer than everyone else, and when disobeyed they could throw you in jail. On the other side of the wealth, are people called proles. The proles lived in the dark, dreadful area of London, with small shacks and barely enough to eat. Socialism can be seen in 1984, through the proles because there whole life is controlled by the government. Everything they accomplish goes to the government which is why they can never get out of the slums of London. The government also goes as far as to create fake lottery winners so that they can withhold the prize money, and no real person will ever win. While the proles work hard to survive capitalists are given everything, and are not forced to work hard. The proles, who make up roughly 85 percent of the population in London, could easily overthrow the government and Big Brother, but choose not to because of the brainwashed society that they live in. They become content with their lifestyle, so even though they are treated as slaves they do not want any conflict with the