How Americans Created and Practiced INGSOC

This is the final article of the series on How humans extrapolate their fears on others. In the previous parts I covered why Russia believes in Nazis in Ukraine as well as how Russia created Communism. Now I will write about how Americans created INGSOC.

INGSOC from George Orwell's 1984 book seems more like fictional villain ideology than something than can exist in real world, much less based on something that existed in real world. However, it is based on real world, and it's based on Puritan sect of Christianity.

In modern US Puritans no longer exist as a dedicated branch of Christianity. They are partially remembered as Pilgrims, that sailed to the new world on Mayflower and founded Plymouth Bay Colony as well as through the Thanksgiving Day. This however omits important parts of their story that explains how they are connected to the INGSOC.

What Puritans Are

Pilgrims, or to be precise Puritans, begun as a branch of Christianity in England. After Henry VIII broke with the Pope and decided to create Church of England, question of doctrines for the new Church aroused. All that happened during times of Reformation and resulting religions strife in Europe. Different preachers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Besancon Hughes and John Knox emerged preaching their own interpretation of Christianity. Some of them disagreed not only with Catholic Church but also with each other, for example Martin Luther denounced both Catholics and all the others so called Reformed preachers.

England too had different ideas over what its new separate Church should be. Several different groups have emerged, advocating different interpretation, policies and approach to faith. One of such groups were Puritans. Puritans were the most radial of them all, they embraced a very radical interpretation of the Bible, that mandated enforced poverty, extreme modesty, prohibition of fun and other such measures. They banned poplar holidays such as Christmas and Easter because they believed celebrations and holidays are too immodest to be Christian. 

During times of English Civil War Puritans briefly held power in England itself, during the so-called Parliament of Saints. However eventually they lost power and restored monarchy of King Charles II banned Puritanism from England and Church of England embraced much more moderate doctrine that mostly combines elements of Lutheran and Catholic ones.

Puritans in America

Being banned from England, Puritans decided to leave and practice their faith elsewhere. America provided them with such an opportunity. Not only this but could even create their own separate colony and run it according to their Puritan views. Puritans did just that. Plymouth Bay Colony later evolved into Massachusetts Bay Colony and then into State of Massachusetts together with neighboring states, known together as New England.

As you can imagine a colony run by Puritans, inhabitant by Puritans and espousing Puritan principles would end up a rather strange, dark and drab place. Puritan doctrine created a proto INGSOC colony filled with numerous enthusiastic supporters. Instead of Big Brother they had all seeing God who was always watching them, that they depicted as Eye of Providence in their Churches. They held witch trials to weed out dissidents and burned witches on a stake. Various very normal things were banned, and people led a very drab and ascetic life. It was pretty much a totalitarian dystopia in real life.

According to some claims around half of modern inhabitants of the US are descendants of people that arrived on Mayflower ship to found Plymouth Bay Colony. That number could be exaggerated as Virgina colony, run by Chevaliers (second sons of nobility) was founded before Plymouth Bay colony and was much more prosperous than latter. Plymouth Bay however could have higher population numbers as Chevaliers run cotton plantations, worked by slaves and Puritans have not practiced slavery.

After the American Revolution

After American revolution, colonies have united under single federal government. Puritans had to share country with Chevaliers, Quakers, Dutch of former New Amsterdam (New York) and number of other groups. In the newly formed US State of New York found itself in position of balancing Puritan views of New England with non-Puritan views of those of the South.

As time went on, the United States grew in every direction and many new migrants from other parts of Europe, especially Germans came to settle new states. These people obviously did not hold any Puritan views. 

Puritans became increasingly diluted with other groups and their views became increasingly marginalized. They stopped being visible and identifiable group but did not disappear completely. Instead, they diffused themselves in this new US and tried to steer it according to their views.

Most of the time that did not work. After all America is Land of the Free and Puritan values are closer to totalitarianism than to freedom. However, Puritans still managed to sneak in more and more of their views into the contemporary US. For example, they managed to force south to abolish slavery. There are probably many more subtle examples of American practices that were spearheaded by Puritans.

Transformation of Puritans

However, reality of the United States forced Puritans to evolve and transform in order to keep propagating their view and values on the rest of society. Current Progressive US Agenda is likely influenced by Puritan views for example. However pretty much every radical American political ideology, either left or right is likely influenced by Puritanism: Paleo-Conservatism, Constitutionalism, (Paleo-)Libertarianism, Socialism, Progressivism, non-interventionalism. 

Socialism in Europe is about employees getting more pay and better working conditions, Socialism in America is almost always INGSOC and Puritanism by a new name. That is why left parties in UK or Australia call themselves Labor rather that Socialist, to avoid associating themselves with INGSOC.

Far not every progressive consciously remembers or associates themselves with Puritanism. Yet Puritan values likely keep resurfacing subconsciously out of force of habit, simply because they were part of New England's life for so long. Many likely think that one or other element of Puritan doctrine are good and keep propagating them. 

Puritanism with its all-seeing Big Brother God is a ghost that haunts the US as much as Avaritionism, Social Darwinism and Kraterocracy haunts Russia.

Emigration of Puritans

One other approach, some neo-Puritans might take is to emigrate somewhere and start anew, like they did with Plymouth Bay Colony. I pity the countries such emigrants would pick as their targets. Australia possibly became a target by crypto neo-Puritan invasion.

USSR, China and the rest of Eastern Bloc possibly were targets by previous Puritan emigrations. That would explain how USSR devolved from very innovative and avant-garde 20s into very backward and repressive 30s.

In fact, the whole 20th century was possibly a conflict between anti and pro Puritan forces.