Airstrip Sixteen: GovernmentBasic Government StructureAirstrip Sixteen's government is based on a divisive caste system. People in Airstrip Sixteen fall into one of four categories:
Inner Party,
Outer Party,
Prole or
Foreigner. Life expectancy and quality of life differ vastly between castes, despite INGSOC's insistence that all people living in Airstrip Sixteen are equal.
Simply: The Inner Party members decide how things are run, the Outer Party members do the running and the Proles represent the unwashed masses. Foreigners are a special case and will be discussed separately.
The Inner PartyInner Party members live in opulence and luxury, benefiting directly from the work of those in the castes beneath them. Members of the Inner Party are responsible for passing laws, deciding on policy and dealing with foreign delegates. In fact, every citizen of Airstrip Sixteen that any foreign dignitary will ever set eyes on will be an Inner Party member. Outside of Airstrip Sixteen, people are completely unaware that a caste system even exists. Despite their wealth and status, Inner Party members are often "disappeared" in the night, the result of paranoid scheming by their political and social rivals.
The Outer PartyOuter Party members live in cold, sterile environments of steel and glass. It is they who write the propaganda of the Inner Party and it is they who grease the cogs of the INGSOC machine. Life is hard for an Outer Party member. They are under constant surveillance by the secret police and there isn't a bathroom, stairwell, alleyway or office that they can avoid the constant and watchful eye of Big Brother. Oftentimes they are little more than mindless drones. Any sign of non-conformity is immediately rewarded with "rehabilitation."
The ProlesThe Proles are the teeming millions of Airstrip Sixteen. Despite their low status, the enjoy the longest life expectancy thanks to their deemed unimportance by the dangerous political players of the Inner Party. They are uneducated and ignorant of the world around them. Many aren't aware of a world at all outside of their respective province or camp.
ForeignersForeigners never see the real Airstrip Sixteen. The closest foreign dignitaries come is Airstrip Sixteen's "capital," Administrative Zone One. There they are told a grand lie. Interacting only with Inner Party members, they have no reason to believe that a caste system exists or that the people in the fatherland have as hard of a life as they do.
INGSOCThe only political party in Airstrip Sixteen is INGSOC, which stands for English Socialism. All Inner and Outer Party members are considered a part of INGSOC, though only Inner Party members are aware of its true nature. INGSOC's current Minister of Policy is Adam Cook, though, like Big Brother, he too is a fabrication. INGSOC expects unquestioning loyalty from all citizens, punishing dissenters with instant "rehabilitation." INGSOC can put laws into effect at any time, or make changes to existing laws at any time. But in truth, it doesn't matter. They often change the dates in newspapers, purposefully garble productivity statistics and completely fabricate news stories to leave the Proles in a constant state of confused ignorance.
The government exists only to keep the Proles in line and to keep the Inner Party in control. While occasional attempts are made to expand Airstrip Sixteen's territory or the like, these are all secondary to INGSOC's true goal.