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Old 06-27-2010, 01:33 PM   #77
TimMason
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Orwell said he was a socialist. It is a claim that he reaffirms throughout his writing. On the other hand, he dismisses anarchism, which he saw, like pacifism as aiming at the impossible and therefore in effect demanding very little (Collected Essays, Vol2). (In fact, Orwell saw a strong role for government in any realizable political formation).

You may be misled by the fact that Orwell very often criticized socialists, particularly of the Hampstead variety. In this he was participating in a sport which remains popular today. Socialism is not a monolithic doctrine, and Orwell's variety, while sometimes idiosyncratic, is a recognizable contribution to an ongoing conversation. His most trenchant contribution was his wartime essay 'The Lion and the Unicorn'.
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