ORWELL A FOST MAI BINE CONECTAT LA POLITICA BRITANICĂ DECÂT CHURCHILL

Abstract

There is a degree of congruence between Orwell and Churchill, a theme which forms the basis of Thomas Ricks’ book, Churchill and Orwell. In the 1930s, both Churchill and Orwell were outsiders, pursuing an agenda which failed to capture the public imagination until circumstances changed. Both displayed hostility to Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism. Their moment of closest affinity occurred during the Second World War, when Churchill became Prime Minister. However, there were considerable differences between the two, in their approach to the practice of politics, and in their conception of what should form the basis of political life. For Orwell political engagement should be based on sentiment rather than on ideology, based on the innate sense of justice and equality possessed by ordinary people. For Churchill, political engagement meant involvement in parliamentary politics, with parliament as the locus of political power. Churchill’s views arose from his conservatism, which led him to regard socialism as identical with totalitarianism. Orwell repeatedly argued that socialism had nothing in common with totalitarianism and he wrote countless articles attacking Bolshevik totalitarianism and defending socialism. As well as this profound difference between Orwell and Churchill, the significant differences between the two in their attitudes towards social legislation became apparent when Churchill’s infamous “Gestapo” broadcast is compared with Orwell’s attitude towards the changes implemented by the Labor party in the immediate post-war period.

Keywords

• orwell
• churchill
• thomas ricks
• social democratic state
• post-war