Norsefire
Encyclopedia
Norsefire is the fictional fascist
political party
ruling the United Kingdom
in Alan Moore
and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta
comic book series. While neither Moore nor Lloyd have said why they chose "Norsefire" as the name for his ruling party (sometimes simply called "the Party
") it could be a possible reference to similar entities, like the National Front
, who have used the initials "NF" and a flaming torch as their logo. The National Front were particularly strong in the early 1980s, and their paper is called The Flame.
would win the British general election of 1983
and would disarm all of the United Kingdom's nuclear capabilities. The story presents a post-apocalyptic Britain that has narrowly avoided an international nuclear war
from 1988 on. As displayed during the story of Evey Hammond
, although the United Kingdom did not suffer any nuclear attacks, the effects of full-scale nuclear war on other countries had severe effects on the environment, and thus on agriculture
. This in its turn had a knock-on effect on the British economy
, and mass riots broke out. As Evey relays to V, an anarchist determined to destroy Norsefire, the government quickly collapsed and chaos overran the country.
The situation turned after several years (approximately 1992 in the story). From the madness of the violence came the ultra right-wing Norsefire regime: fascists
(similar to Oswald Mosley
's British Union of Fascists
) that united with the surviving big companies and businesses, giving them the appearance of wealth and stability. However, while the Norsefire regime did indeed bring order back to the country, this order came at a cost: ethnic and racial minorities such as Black people
, Indians and Pakistanis were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Religious groups such as Jews
, Muslims and other minorities such as homosexuals and political leftists were also persecuted. With their potential enemies all removed within a short space of time, Norsefire began consolidating their power over the country. They began to sink their influence into the Church of England
, giving it more power and influence. They began promoting and demoting members of the clergy as they saw fit. They also took over the television companies, creating NTV (Norsefire Television), and implemented the technologies that would allow for a closely monitored society, including closed-circuit television
. In the novel the British monarchy continues under Queen Zara
. No reference is made to the monarchy in the film, though God Save the King is played during a television parody sketch.
By the time the story of the graphic novel has begun, Norsefire has shut down the concentration camps and is essentially in complete control of society. Although competition exists between the varying branches of the state (similar to the rivalry between the SS
and the SA
in Nazi Germany
), they generally have complete control over the United Kingdom
. The head of the party is Leader Adam Susan, a self-proclaimed fascist who seems to worship Fate, the super-computer surveillance system that oversees the nation. Their control over the state soon faces a threat from V, the anarchist protagonist of the story who seeks to overthrow the regime and allow the people to decide their own fate.
A common recurring motto is "Strength Through Purity, Purity Through Faith" (or in the movie, "Strength Through Unity, Unity Through Faith"). The British Union of Fascists
also used a similar slogan, "Action within unity". Another maxim often used by Norsefire as a salute is "England Prevails".
Although Norsefire still bear their largely repressive policies in the movie adaptation of V for Vendetta, some differences are worthy of note.
The openly fascist Norsefire comes to power in the film by winning a general election with 87% of the vote. The mechanism is elaborated in the film to a much greater extent than was ever discussed in the comic. However, much of the following explanation comes from Finch's speculation that the biological attacks were a Reichstag fire
ploy. His fears are "confirmed" by a discussion with one of the agents involved, but it is later made clear that this was V impersonating the real agent, who has been dead for 20 years, manipulating Finch to get to Creedy. However, much of the plan is confirmed by other sources, especially V's own background.
In place of the nuclear war of the novel version, biological weapons are used instead. Alan Moore later states in the foreword to the trade paperback edition of V for Vendetta that scientists now felt that even a "limited" nuclear war was not survivable. Thus biological weapons would today be considered more plausible. In the film, the men who later became Norsefire had staged a plan that would sweep them into full control of the nation; using detention centres, they conducted horrific medical experiments on prisoners to perfect a deadly virus (and the cure for it) which they then used to stage a terrorist attack they would blame on religious extremists.
To maximise its effect, the virus was released in a water treatment plant called Three Waters, a London Underground station, and the St. Mary's Primary School. The "St. Mary's virus" quickly killed almost 100,000 people in the British Isles, and the British populace was gripped by fear. Several "terrorist" scapegoats were tried and executed. Norsefire then promised to bring back security against the new "terrorist threat". Party leaders had bought stock in the pharmaceutical companies that would later mass produce the cure, becoming very rich in the process. Not long after the biological attack and their ascension to power, the public was informed that a cure was miraculously discovered and distributed throughout the country. Adam Sutler (the film version of Adam Susan) was then elected to the new office of High Chancellor.
Norsefire still has the primary government divisions of the graphic novel, though these anatomical names are rarely used in the film:
The rest of the world is only passingly mentioned, although it is stated in several news reports that at least the United States (referred to as the "former United States," not unlike "the former Soviet Union") has fallen upon desperate times. According to BTN news broadcasts it is mentioned that the U.S. has become so desperate for medical supplies that it has sent Britain a tremendous amount of grain
and tobacco
in a bid for aid, and at least by the end of the movie has broken out into its second civil war
, although these may be propaganda pieces. It is also unclear whether or not Norsefire controls only England, or whether it also controls the whole country, or even if Britain is still a part of the Commonwealth of Nations
. Norsefire's propaganda and the way Eric Finch is mocked by Creedy for having an Irish mother seem to suggest British or Nordic superiority (Storm Saxon
, "England Prevails"). (Creedy mentions a devastating outbreak of the Norsefire biological weapon in Ireland, though this may have been accidental.)
The name of the government party, Norsefire, is only used passingly in the film. It is stated in the film that Sutler originally came to power in the Conservative Party
, but a chart of election results show that Sutler broke away and formed his own party ("Labour", "Conservative" and "Norsefire" are shown). The computer system "Fate", which played an important role in the graphic novel, is also absent. However, there is talk and use of a new computer network called the Interlink throughout the film.
Sutler, portrayed by John Hurt
, is also given visual similarities with Oswald Mosley
and Adolf Hitler
, having a similar hairstyle, figure, moustache and style of military dress Mosley wore (the "blackshirt"). However, Sutler is described as having broken away from the Conservative Party, while in real life, Oswald Mosley
's New Party, which developed into the British Union of Fascists
, was a breakaway from Labour
. Adam Susan in comparison, however, is extremely different and shares more similarities with Benito Mussolini
.
. It is notable that this symbol also uses the British national colours
, red, white and blue.
In the film, the Norsefire symbol resembles the Croix de Lorraine. The symbol is shown on flags, police badges, coat of arms
, tanks, and army beret
badges. Two versions exist, one with a red cross on a black background and another with a black cross on a red background.
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
ruling the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
comic book series. While neither Moore nor Lloyd have said why they chose "Norsefire" as the name for his ruling party (sometimes simply called "the Party
Single-party state
A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...
") it could be a possible reference to similar entities, like the National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
, who have used the initials "NF" and a flaming torch as their logo. The National Front were particularly strong in the early 1980s, and their paper is called The Flame.
Overview
Moore predicted that the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
would win the British general election of 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
and would disarm all of the United Kingdom's nuclear capabilities. The story presents a post-apocalyptic Britain that has narrowly avoided an international nuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
from 1988 on. As displayed during the story of Evey Hammond
Evey Hammond
Evey Hammond is a fictional character and one of the main characters of the V for Vendetta comic book series, created by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. She becomes involved in V's life when he rescues her from a gang of London's secret police.-Biography:Evey grew up on Shooters Hill in south-east...
, although the United Kingdom did not suffer any nuclear attacks, the effects of full-scale nuclear war on other countries had severe effects on the environment, and thus on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. This in its turn had a knock-on effect on the British economy
Economy of the United Kingdom
The economy of the United Kingdom is the sixth-largest national economy in the world measured by nominal GDP and seventh-largest measured by purchasing power parity , and the third-largest in Europe measured by nominal GDP and second-largest measured by PPP...
, and mass riots broke out. As Evey relays to V, an anarchist determined to destroy Norsefire, the government quickly collapsed and chaos overran the country.
The situation turned after several years (approximately 1992 in the story). From the madness of the violence came the ultra right-wing Norsefire regime: fascists
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
(similar to Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
) that united with the surviving big companies and businesses, giving them the appearance of wealth and stability. However, while the Norsefire regime did indeed bring order back to the country, this order came at a cost: ethnic and racial minorities such as Black people
Black British
Black British is a term used to describe British people of Black African descent, especially those of Afro-Caribbean background. The term has been used from the 1950s to refer to Black people from former British colonies in the West Indies and Africa, who are residents of the United Kingdom and...
, Indians and Pakistanis were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Religious groups such as Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Muslims and other minorities such as homosexuals and political leftists were also persecuted. With their potential enemies all removed within a short space of time, Norsefire began consolidating their power over the country. They began to sink their influence into the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, giving it more power and influence. They began promoting and demoting members of the clergy as they saw fit. They also took over the television companies, creating NTV (Norsefire Television), and implemented the technologies that would allow for a closely monitored society, including closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
. In the novel the British monarchy continues under Queen Zara
Zara Phillips
Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, MBE is the second child and only daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips and is 13th in the line of succession to the throne...
. No reference is made to the monarchy in the film, though God Save the King is played during a television parody sketch.
By the time the story of the graphic novel has begun, Norsefire has shut down the concentration camps and is essentially in complete control of society. Although competition exists between the varying branches of the state (similar to the rivalry between the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
and the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
), they generally have complete control over the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The head of the party is Leader Adam Susan, a self-proclaimed fascist who seems to worship Fate, the super-computer surveillance system that oversees the nation. Their control over the state soon faces a threat from V, the anarchist protagonist of the story who seeks to overthrow the regime and allow the people to decide their own fate.
Motto
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
also used a similar slogan, "Action within unity". Another maxim often used by Norsefire as a salute is "England Prevails".
Film portrayal
The openly fascist Norsefire comes to power in the film by winning a general election with 87% of the vote. The mechanism is elaborated in the film to a much greater extent than was ever discussed in the comic. However, much of the following explanation comes from Finch's speculation that the biological attacks were a Reichstag fire
Reichstag fire
The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany....
ploy. His fears are "confirmed" by a discussion with one of the agents involved, but it is later made clear that this was V impersonating the real agent, who has been dead for 20 years, manipulating Finch to get to Creedy. However, much of the plan is confirmed by other sources, especially V's own background.
In place of the nuclear war of the novel version, biological weapons are used instead. Alan Moore later states in the foreword to the trade paperback edition of V for Vendetta that scientists now felt that even a "limited" nuclear war was not survivable. Thus biological weapons would today be considered more plausible. In the film, the men who later became Norsefire had staged a plan that would sweep them into full control of the nation; using detention centres, they conducted horrific medical experiments on prisoners to perfect a deadly virus (and the cure for it) which they then used to stage a terrorist attack they would blame on religious extremists.
To maximise its effect, the virus was released in a water treatment plant called Three Waters, a London Underground station, and the St. Mary's Primary School. The "St. Mary's virus" quickly killed almost 100,000 people in the British Isles, and the British populace was gripped by fear. Several "terrorist" scapegoats were tried and executed. Norsefire then promised to bring back security against the new "terrorist threat". Party leaders had bought stock in the pharmaceutical companies that would later mass produce the cure, becoming very rich in the process. Not long after the biological attack and their ascension to power, the public was informed that a cure was miraculously discovered and distributed throughout the country. Adam Sutler (the film version of Adam Susan) was then elected to the new office of High Chancellor.
Norsefire still has the primary government divisions of the graphic novel, though these anatomical names are rarely used in the film:
- the Hand with its agents,
- the Finger (the secret policeSecret policeSecret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
), - the Eye (the visual surveillanceClosed-circuit televisionClosed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
division), - the Ear (the audio surveillanceEavesdroppingEavesdropping is the act of secretly listening to the private conversation of others without their consent, as defined by Black's Law Dictionary...
division), - the Nose (the police department), and
- the Mouth (the propagandaPropagandaPropaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
division, which runs the BTN).
The rest of the world is only passingly mentioned, although it is stated in several news reports that at least the United States (referred to as the "former United States," not unlike "the former Soviet Union") has fallen upon desperate times. According to BTN news broadcasts it is mentioned that the U.S. has become so desperate for medical supplies that it has sent Britain a tremendous amount of grain
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
in a bid for aid, and at least by the end of the movie has broken out into its second civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, although these may be propaganda pieces. It is also unclear whether or not Norsefire controls only England, or whether it also controls the whole country, or even if Britain is still a part of the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. Norsefire's propaganda and the way Eric Finch is mocked by Creedy for having an Irish mother seem to suggest British or Nordic superiority (Storm Saxon
Storm Saxon
Storm Saxon is a fictional character in the Alan Moore and David Lloyd comic book V for Vendetta. In the graphic novel, he is the idealized Aryan hero of a science fiction television show that forms an occasional backdrop to the story.Storm's love interest is the blue-eyed blonde Heidi, and his...
, "England Prevails"). (Creedy mentions a devastating outbreak of the Norsefire biological weapon in Ireland, though this may have been accidental.)
The name of the government party, Norsefire, is only used passingly in the film. It is stated in the film that Sutler originally came to power in the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, but a chart of election results show that Sutler broke away and formed his own party ("Labour", "Conservative" and "Norsefire" are shown). The computer system "Fate", which played an important role in the graphic novel, is also absent. However, there is talk and use of a new computer network called the Interlink throughout the film.
Sutler, portrayed by John Hurt
John Hurt
John Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
, is also given visual similarities with Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, having a similar hairstyle, figure, moustache and style of military dress Mosley wore (the "blackshirt"). However, Sutler is described as having broken away from the Conservative Party, while in real life, Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's New Party, which developed into the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
, was a breakaway from Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. Adam Susan in comparison, however, is extremely different and shares more similarities with Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
.
Symbol
In the book, a blue "N" on a black flag is the symbol of the party. An "N" or "NF" are the only party symbols shown. Yet, as mentioned above, the first issue's cover also features a Greek or Latin cross merged into a pair of wings rising from red flames. This could symbolize the "rise" of Britain from the ashes similar to that of a PhoenixPhoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
. It is notable that this symbol also uses the British national colours
Flag of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or, popularly, Union Jack. The current design of the Union Flag dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801...
, red, white and blue.
In the film, the Norsefire symbol resembles the Croix de Lorraine. The symbol is shown on flags, police badges, coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, tanks, and army beret
Beret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
badges. Two versions exist, one with a red cross on a black background and another with a black cross on a red background.
See also
- V for VendettaV for VendettaV for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
(1980s comic) - V for VendettaV for Vendetta (film)V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
(2006 film) - IngsocIngsocIngsoc is the political ideology of the totalitarian government of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian science fiction novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.-Fictionalised origin of Ingsoc:...
- British Union of FascistsBritish Union of FascistsThe British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
- British National FrontBritish National FrontThe National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
- FascismFascismFascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...