Thursday, November 20, 2008
George Orwell and The Spanish Civil War
Research George Orwell, his Homage to Catalonia and The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) in preparation for 1984. Although this novel might seem at first simple, it's actually quite multi-layered and complex, containing some pretty straight forward analysis on the human history...
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George Orwell paid homage to Catalonia to fight the forces of fascism. Spain at this time was engulfed in a civil war between a soviet backed faction and a german/italian backed faction. The fascists were ultimately victorious. The spanish civil war proved to be a tesing ground for the combat techniques that would later be used by germany during ww2.
Yes, a very brief summation of the "official history (1984)" of this war, but neither entirely true nor complete. This is why Orwell wrote Homage to Catalonia, so that people on either side of the many political debates of the time could know the truth...
Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell's personal account of the Spanish Civil War. It begins with his arrival in Barcelona, ready to be trained for the front line. Orwell wants to fight Fascism and being in Barcelona excites him; he is trying to make a difference. The Spanish War was fought in trenches and Orwell writes about his experiences in the front line. They experienced lack of arms and supplies. During his time in the front line, Orwell is shot in the neck, but survives. In Homage to Catalonia, Orwell is disillusioned with Communism in practice, but not with its ideals which were similar to his own personal morality. His eventual disaffection from the Communist Party was the result of his discovery that the Communist party's real intention was to prevent the long-awaited revolution ever from being instituted at all.
Orwell journeyed to Spain in 1937 to report on the Spanish Civil War for a British newsppaer. Shortly after arriving, Orwell participated in the P.O.U.M. Militia and joined the fight against Franco. Orwell gleaned from his experiences that the Spanish Civil War was more than a battle between fascists, republicans, or socialists. The popular front was composed of communists, socialists, and Anarchists, who all embraced different agendas for Spain. For instance, the communists desired to establish a centralized communist government, while the socialists desired a worker controlled government. In contrast to both of these groups, the Anarchists desired a decentralized workers government. Even Franco's coalition was composed of various groups, such as affluent landowners, Fascists, and military leaders, who all pursued disparate objectives. In 1952, Orwell wrote Homage to Catalonia, in which he explored the political complexities of the Spanish Civil War and his harsh physical conditions. Orwell's realistic and personal account of this war sharply contrasts with the publications of the journalists, propagandists, and party leaders of his day. These publications, which were often biased, misleading, and embellished, motivated him to write a more accurate account of the events of the Spanish Civil War.
In late 1936 George Orwell traveled to Spain as a Journalist but eventually joined the P.O.U.M militia to fight against the Fascists. Homage to Catalonia is a novel he wrote after his return home and was published in 1938. IN this novel he talks about his experiences while with the POUM. He was shot in the neck and his wife was forced to flee Spain after he was marked to be a pro-fascist.
George Orwell was on the side of the Republicans, which included the socialists, communists, Trotskyites, anarchists, and separatists, who were against the Nationalists, Franco's fascism. The Republicans were aided by the Soviet Union while the Nationalists were aided by Nazi Germany. The Republicans failed to win the war and so the dictatorship lasted until the mid-1970s. The Spanish War was sort of a prelude to WWII. Orwell served as a private and officer in the POUM that became an illegal organization. As a result, he fled to fight in Spain. His goal was not to write a book but to fight against Fascism. But as a result of his experiences in the war, he wrote the Homage to Catalonia where he talks about his front lines and "unlucky" shot at his neck.
George Orwell was an English novelist. In 1936 Orwell went to Spain to do his job as a journalist, but he put the pen down and joined the POUM against the forces who were under the force of Francisco Franco. Homage to Catalonia was published in 1938. This book talked about the military services in the POUM, both from the left and right, which leaves space for interpretation.
Homage to Catalonia is a riveting book, and one of the few to clarify the mysterious Spanish Civil War. While it is not a comedy, it is funny because Orwell and his companions were able to see some of the humor in their situations.
He describes his own personal experiences, but adds many comments about the larger political issues, to which he also devotes two complete chapters. In those, he unscrambles and clarifies what (from his experience) actually happened in Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain, for part of 1936 and 1937.
Homage to Catalonia was personal reference to what happened in the Spanish civil War. Orwell served in the Spanish Civil War against the fascist and communist movement going on at the time. Orwell also joined the P.O.U.M. which was an organization against the fascists. This organization later became illegal and the target of the fascists because it was going against their plans. The book is told in first person and it has accounts of what happened in the front lines during the war, in the view point of a soldier. This book is leading up to 1984 because Orwell was telling the world what was happening in the war and how the soldiers were fighting and going through harsh times. 1984, is telling people what will happen if people do not act and let the fascist party come to place and leave them there without fighting any longer.
George Orwell went to Spain in 1936. He first went there as a journalist, but then changed his mind to fight with the P.O.U.M (Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista)against the Fascist forces under Francisco Franco. After his return to home he published "Homage to Catalonia" in 1938 telling about his military services.
George Orwell traveled to Spain in December 1936 to report on the Spanish Civil War. Shortly afterwards he joined the POUM, an anti-Stalinist communist party. He despised the communistic and totalitarian rule. Yet the POUM was declared an illegal organisation, and Orwell was subsequently forced to flee. He decided to write Homage to Catalonia describing his personal account of his experiences and observations in the Spanish Civil War and disprove the false propaganda and other publications about the war. His book 1984 emphasizes the destruction a totalitarian governemnt can produced to a society. Orwell wrote personal accounts of his life in his books. For example, during his military service, Orwell was shot through the neck and nearly killed. Similarly, Winston Smith in 1984 had the same fate. Orwell's book thus attempt to contribute an accurate account on the Spanish war. Also he focuses on the negative affects a totalitarian government cause on society and individual's mind.
George Orwell’s first hand experience and observations of the Spanish Civil War is written in the Homage to Catalonia. Orwell served as a private and a corporal for the POUM, an anti-Stalinist communist party. Because the political party was declared an illegal organization, he was forced to flee or face imprisonment. Although he joined the POUM by chance, his experiences to escape from the Communist purges in Barcelona greatly increased his sympathy for POUM and made him a life-long anti-Stalinist. Homage to Catalonia connects to Orwell's novel 1984 because he uses his experiences during the Spanish War to depict how the totalitarian authority abuses and oppresses people with its power.
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