Oceania is in a constant state of what in 1984?

In
, Oceania is in a constant state of war. While the enemy is subject to
change, the purpose of warfare in Oceania remains the same, as Emmanuel Goldstein argues in his
Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism. War, he says, is
necessary to subjugate the people and to maintain the Party's power:

The primary aim of modern warfare€¦is to use up the products of the
machine without raising the standard of the living.

In
other words, the Party uses the war as justification for claiming the surplus goods that are
produced in Oceania. These goods are directed towards the war effort instead of towards the
people and this keeps the general standard of living low. This benefits the Party because it
keeps people in a permanent state of dependence.

War, therefore, is one of
the Party's most important political tools and this is why it is and must always be
perpetuated.