Posted: March 30, 2000 at 15:38:12: by David Freitag
The account of the end of the Battle at the Morannon ("Field of Cormallen") indicates that Sauron exerted some kind of direct, "psychic" (not a word Tolkien would have used) control over some of his troops, at least providing them with a kind of irrsistible drive, fighting frenzy or something. Human troops, or, at least those of the independent allies, the Easterlings and Haradrim, seemed to be exempt from this, as they did not scatter in panic after Sauron's fall, but fought on in grim determination.
This may have been kind of like a leash, only tightened when a battle or something else made it necessary (a drain on Sauron if used too much.)
The numbers mean some kind of bureaucracy was functioning and I cannot see orcs as bureaucrats. The regime did not inspire much loyalty or enthusiasm, if the Gorbag-Shagrat conversation is any indication: orc utopia is to go off with a "few trusty lads" and set-up on one's own, independent brigand bands. They were quarrelsome and independent minded, and must have hated the regimentation of the Sauronic regime. Rule through fear.
I agree that something like the heirarchies others have given in their posts must have existed, but that isn't the whole story: Sauron was not one to trust his underlings (nor were they trustworthy!), though, through the Rings, the Nazgul's will was totally enslaved, incapable of independent action. As hinted at by his Red Eye symbol, Sauron had means of watching his people: he'd approve of Orwell's Big Brother.
Grishnakh is quite openly one of Sauron's spies. (Interestingly, at least in Ugluk, we see some real loyalty and affection to Saruman), He (Grishnakh) reminds me of the zampolit, the political officers who served alongside military commanders in the old Red Army, keeping an eye on the orthodoxy and reliability of the officer corps. (Stalin was a human, not a fallen Maia, much more vulnerable to coups.) There must also have been lots of secret snitches passing on the word about disloyal remarks: surely Shagrat and Gorbag had files in the basement of Barad-dur.
Sauron does resemble Stalin more than Hitler among the two men tied for first place as the evilist of our times: Hitler was genuinely popular and given to making fiery speeches to rally the fanatic enthusiasm of his followers. there is none of that in Mordor. Like Stalin, Sauron stayed hidden in his tower, pulling strings and manipulating through fear and suspicion, save that Stalin was paranoid, seeing plots against him everywhere. Sauron was much more secure in his power.
One last aspect: modern totalitarian rulers set-up several bureaucracies with similar functions, competing with one another so as to keep them from uniting to overthrow #1. Don't see that here, no one is plotting to overthrow Sauron.
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