![]() The sealed world in which he lives would be broken, and the fear, hatred, and self-righteousness on which his morale depends might evaporate. If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies. War prisoners apart, the average citizen of Oceania never sets eyes on a citizen of either Eurasia or Eastasia, and he is forbidden the knowledge of foreign languages. Even the official ally of the moment is always regarded with the darkest suspicion. It is absolutely necessary to their structure that there should be no contact with foreigners except, to a limited extent, with war prisoners and colored slaves. The problem is the same for all three superstates. If Oceania were to conquer the areas that used once to be known as France and Germany, it would be necessary either to exterminate the inhabitants, a task of great physical difficulty, or to assimilate a population of about a hundred million people, who, so far as technical development goes, are roughly on the Oceanic level. But this would violate the principle, followed on all sides though never formulated, of cultural integrity. Eurasia, for example, could easily conquer the British Isles, which are geographically part of Europe, or on the other hand it would be possible for Oceania to push its frontiers to the Rhine or even to the Vistula. This explains the fact that in some places the frontiers between the superstates are arbitrary. Fighting ever occurs except in the disputed areas round the Equator and the Pole: no invasion of enemy territory is ever undertaken. ![]()
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