Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Primary Major
History
Thesis Advisor
Jordan Lieser, PhD
Abstract
George Orwell is one of the most celebrated authors of the 20th century. His most famous novels, Animal Farm and 1984, serve as insightful commentaries on the horrors of totalitarianism. These two books have been studied extensively and incorporated into public and political discourse since his death in 1950. Contemporary right-wing and left-wing leaders and pundits both continue to reference the concepts and language in Orwell’s books to support their respective stances on various issues. Additionally, they have been presented to high schoolers and college students as simplified anti-communist novels or pro-capitalist propaganda during the Cold War. However, Orwell’s work outside of these iconic novels has been given far less attention. This research project contextualizes Orwell’s work with his life and examines the way his political ideologies changed as a result of his experiences. Special focus is given to Orwell’s stint as an imperial policeman in Burma, his time living in working-class England, and his experience in the Spanish Civil War. I argue that Orwell’s participation in the Spanish Civil War was a turning point in his life, exposing him to the authoritarian nature of Stalinism and solidifying his identity as a democratic socialist. This research illustrates that the common oversimplification of Animal Farm and 1984 is problematic as it fails to acknowledge Orwell’s commitment to socialism and his criticism of Western governments. I contend that Animal Farm was intended to be a warning about the corruption of revolution rather than revolution itself and 1984 was written with the intention of warning Westerners about the potential for totalitarianism in their own countries, while also addressing totalitarian regimes of his day.