In your own words, please explain how “war is peace”

According to the theories of Big Brother and The Party, they believe that as long they are at war with a strong outside force, the people will be able to unite under one common cause to fight the “common enemy”. As long as this enemy is there, the people will stand under one roof, and they will prosper and procure under the belief that they must be united and strong as a nation to achieve this high quality of life which is only there acting as a façade to the truth behind their quality of life. Since there is a common enemy, the Party is able to have a higher level of control leading to the vulnerability of the people. When they are at war, they will not be tempted to revolt according to their bad treatment; in fact, they may not even realize that such bad treatment exists. Being at war awards the feeling that they must be united to stay and fight strong against the evil that is pushing inwardly. Also, in this situation, citizens are empowering the government by allowing them to make larger decisions without their consent. This can be very dangerous, because the more powerful a government gets, the more selfish it can become. The government may destroy all rights of the citizens, turning them into slaves or zombies. They will be viewed as pawns, and this is a very valid example that pertains to the novel 1984.