![]() The effect of all these personal (Orwell), national (Britain) and global anxieties are reflected in the story. Deeply committed to socialist economics but strongly opposed to communism and its totalitarian tendencies, especially Soviet style communism under Stalin. George Orwell himself was a disillusioned socialist. Britain was also struggling to recover from WWII economically. This was also a time when the old European empires were in rapid retreat, the seat of Western power had shifted to the USA and Britain had yet to develop its own nuclear weapons. ![]() ![]() The threat of global war was renewed however this time with the prospect of nuclear weapons. It was also a time when communism was spreading globally, particularly in Asia. Released in 1949 it was written during the immediate aftermath of WWII as the Iron Curtain descended over Eastern Europe and Stalin tightened his grip on power. To best understand the book it helps to understand a little about the circumstances in which it was written. ![]() It might be most famous for exploring the idea of technological mass surveillance but at its core it is a book about power. George Orwell’s 1984 is a grim read that tells of a future in which something has gone horribly wrong in society resulting the extreme oppression of the citizens of at least one super state. ![]()
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