The event?

[Turkey Man 5432]

Obviously Winston is being brain washed by torture to love Big Brother. People are being forced against their will to love Big Brother. My question is what is the event in 1948 (Orwell's Time) that sparked Oewell to write about people being brain washed?

[The Atheist]

I don't think there's any single event, although Germany and Russia's propaganda machines may have given him more impetus than other examples. Brainwashing as a singular technique in torture has been in place for thousands of years, from ancient Egypt right through the Inquisition to WWII.