V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian political action film directed by James McTeigue. It is based on the 1988 DC Comics limited series of the same name. The film is set in an alternative future where a Nordic supremacist and neo-
fascist totalitarian regime has subjugated the
United Kingdom. It centers on V, an anarchist and masked
freedom fighter who attempts to ignite a
revolution through elaborate terrorist acts, and Evey Hammond (portrayed by Natalie Portman) a young, working-class woman caught up in V's mission.
V for Vendetta has been seen by many political groups as an allegory of
oppression by the
government; anarchists have used it to promote their beliefs. The
Guy Fawkes mask
… Read more has now become a common brand and a convenient placard to use in
protest against
tyranny. As a film about the struggle between
freedom and the state,
V for Vendetta takes imagery from many classic totalitarian icons both real and fictional, including the
Third Reich, the Soviet Union under Stalin, and
George Orwell's
1984.
Political
repression is the act of a state entity controlling a citizenry by force for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing the citizenry's ability to take part in the political life of a
society, thereby reducing their standing among their fellow citizens. It is often manifested through policies such as
human rights violations, surveillance abuse,
police brutality, imprisonment, involuntary settlement, stripping of citizen's rights, lustration and violent action or terror such as the murder, summary executions, torture, forced disappearance and other extrajudicial punishment of political activists, dissidents, or general population. Political
… Read more repression is often accompanied by violence, which might be legal or illegal according to domestic law. Violence can both eliminate political opposition directly by killing opposition members, or indirectly by instilling
fear.
Political
conflict strongly increases the likelihood of state
repression. Civil uprisings are a strong predictor of repressive activity as states so often engage in repressive behaviors in times of civil
conflict. When their authority or legitimacy is threatened, regimes respond by overtly or covertly suppressing dissidents to eliminate the behavioral threat.
Repression suppresses dissident mobilization by reducing the capacity of challengers to
organize, yet it is also feasible that challengers can leverage state repressive behavior to spur mobilization among sympathizers by framing
repression as a new grievance against the state.
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