” In other words, laws can limit a ruler’s power. In his 1941 essay “ The Lion and the Unicorn,” Orwell writes of “The totalitarian idea that there is no such thing as law, there is only power …. Much of Orwell’s keenest insights concern what totalitarianism is incompatible with. George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (‘1984’) surged to the top of ’s best-sellers list after Donald Trump’s Presidential Inauguration in 2017. O'Brien represents power for power’s sake. Significantly, O'Brien treats his desire for power as an end in itself. The totalitarian attitude is exemplified by the antagonist, O'Brien, in “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” The fictional O'Brien is a powerful government official who uses torture and manipulation to gain power over the thoughts and actions of the protagonist, Winston Smith. What is totalitarianism?įor Orwell, totalitarianism was a political order focused on power and control. Orwell did not specify in that passage what he meant by either totalitarianism or democratic socialism, but some of his other works clarify how he understood those terms.

Orwell later summarized the purpose of his writing from roughly the Spanish Civil War onward: “Every line of serious work I have written since 1936 has been, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism.” During the conflict, Orwell experienced how propaganda could shape political narratives through observing inaccurate reporting of events he experienced firsthand. He also served as a volunteer soldier with a left-wing militia group that fought on behalf of the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War.

At age 24, Orwell returned to England to become a writer.ĭuring the 1930s, Orwell had modest success as an essayist, journalist and novelist. After finishing school, he joined the British civil service, working in Burma, now Myanmar. Born in 1903 in colonial India, Blair later moved to England, where he attended elite schools on scholarships. George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Blair. And “ Nineteen Eighty-Four” rose to the top of Amazon’s best-sellers list after Donald Trump’s Presidential Inauguration in 2017.Īs a philosophy professor, I’m interested in the continuing relevance of Orwell’s ideas, including those on totalitarianism and socialism. Sales of “ Animal Farm” and “Nineteen Eighty-Four” jumped in 2013 after the whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked confidential National Security Agency documents. In the years since, Orwell’s writing has left an indelible mark on American thought and culture. “Animal Farm” was followed three years later by an even bigger success: Orwell’s dystopian novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” It was a huge success, with over a half-million copies sold in its first year. Seventy-five years ago, in August 1946, George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” was published in the United States.

George orwell 1984 and animal farm