How Orwell’s 1984 prophesied the world divided into 3 that is coming

In Orwell’s prescient novel, the world is controlled by 3 superpowers, who share the planet’s territory among themselves. In our days, more than ever, the prophetic character of the imaginary world of Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia gains emphasis.

There is nothing new in considering that George Orwell’s most influential novel, written in 1949, was prophetic. But attention has typically focused on its portrayal of the oppressive aspects of life in Oceania, the superstate where “1984” takes place.

Today, however, a different featurewhich even in 2019 some critics dismissed as “obsolete”, is receiving more attention: its vision of a world divided into three spherescontrolled by autocratic governments that constantly form and then break alliances.

In Orwell’s premonitory novel, the world is controlled by 3 superpowers; a Oceania, where the story takes place, it encompasses the British Isles, the Americas, Australia and parts of Africa; the Eurasia covers continental Europe and Russia/Soviet Union; and the Eastasia comprises China, Japan and East Asia.

Em 2022, Vladimir Putin began Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This year he agreed with the US to mount an operation in Venezuela and capture its president, while Donald Trump speculated on US stocks against several other countries in Latin America and Greenland.

Nonetheless, Xi Jinping regularly repeats China’s intention to “reunify” with Taiwan – by force, if necessary.

“Orwell-as-prophet” commentators began to show more interest in the idea of ​​superstates at the beginning of the decade, often with references to Putin’s imperial ambitions.

This trend became more pronounced when Trump’s second term began, professors note Emrah Atasoy, from the University of Warwick, and Jeffrey Wasserstrom from the University of California, in an opinion article in .

Last year, the American historian Alfred McCoy addresses this tripolar world in an essay entitled “Is 2025 the new 1984?”

A report from the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska last August was headlined “It seems like a Trump-Putin-Xi world, but in reality It’s Orwell’sThe article described the fictional global affairs model of “1984” as “prophetic.”

Many observers now recognize Big Brother-like leaders to exercise power in Washington, as well as in Moscow and Beijing. In his first rehearsal of 2026, Anne Applebaum wrote in that “Orwell’s world is fiction, but some want to make it reality.”

The American journalist and historian noticed a dangerous desire of some for “an Asia dominated by China, a Europe dominated by Russia and one Western Hemisphere dominated by the United States“. Social networks are full of comments and maps in the same direction. And even on ZAP we’ve already created ours, above. It could still come in handy…

The inspiration for the geopolitical vision of 1984 probably comes from Orwell’s own experiences. Before the 1940s, Orwell spent a lot of time learning and write critically about three oppressive systems: capitalism, fascism and Soviet communism.

In terms of capitalismworking as a colonial police officer in Burma in the 1920s left him disgusted with what he called the “dirty work of the empire”. Living in England later led him to write works about class injustices such as “The Road to Wigan Pier” (1937).

In terms of fascismwrote scathingly about Hitler and Franco. Orwell was also Horrified by reports of repression under Stalin.

His time fighting in Spain reinforced his dark view of Moscow and saw old allies become bitter enemies as the anti-Franco coalition crumbled, and the Soviets began to treat groups that had been part of it as villains.

As World War II news also had an impact. In 1939 and 1941 respectively, newspapers were full of reports about Moscow and Berlin sign a non-aggression pactand then about Moscow changing sides to join the Allies.

And in a 1945 essay, Orwell poked fun at many people on the left who welcomed the rise of Chiang Kai-shekthe leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, fervently anti-communistas soon as he aligned himself with the Allies – apparently forgetting his previous contempt for Chiang’s brutal effort to exterminate the Chinese Communist Party.

But maybe the most notable news of the 1940s related to the geopolitics of “1984”, and a fundamental inspiration for his final novel, were the accounts of Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill to talk at the 1943 Tehran conference about divide the post-war world into three spheres.

“1984” has had extraordinary longevity as a reference text for political commentary. But nowadays, more than ever, the importance of prophetic character of the imaginary world of Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia.