Why I Write

Orwell claimed that the majority of English citizens were poised for the change from capitalism to socialism, but that these changes were not yet happening. He recalled his previous metaphor of England as a family with the “wrong members in control,” (54) or the aristocratic, wealthy class. He noted that a complete shift of power and revolution must occur away from a wealthy ruling class, whom he deemed unteachable and willfully ignorant of fascist threats.

He argued that “Every strategic plan, every tactical method, even every weapon will bear the stamp of the social system that produced it” (55). If this social system was capitalism, then England would inevitably fall to Germany. He believed a socialist revolution was necessary to win the war.

The ruling class of England did not want to profit from the war, they wanted “to simply hang on to what they’ve got” (56). By revolution, Orwell meant an ideological and social upheaval that would allow the “native genius” of England’s citizens to address the threat of fascism more competently than the current leaders. Orwell supported a bottom-up approach to revolution, in which the working and middle classes demanded the change needed from the ruling class and did not necessarily champion violence. Rather, Orwell was concerned with creating class equality with small disparities in wealth where each citizen sacrificed the same amount.: this would cement England’s morale and stop any man from thinking that they would be in a similar state under Hitler.

Orwell saw a socialist revolution as entirely possible. It was just that the English had moved too slowly to implement the drastic changes for a full revolution to occur.

Orwell discussed the most probable way that England would be defeated in the war. He noted the threat of the Fifth Column and politically provocative German refugees being interned after reaching England. This was distasteful not only to him but had lost England favor with the rest of Europe. He proposed that England may technically fall to bombing or invasion, but that it was more likely England’s defeat would be an ideological one, with pro-fascists in the wealthy ruling class agreeing to surrender in order to preserve their money and influence.

Orwell examined what could cause an ideological defeat for England. The Communists, he suggested, did not hold enough influence among the people. Pacifism only appealed to a small population and was not capable of inspiring “devotion,” or motivation for ending the war. Orwell maintained that “The real danger is from above” (63) citing the fact that Hitler had never persecuted the rich of the countries he occupied. Orwell believed that the ruling class was more pro-Hitler than pro-socialist because of their capitalistic interests. During a lull in fighting, Orwell expected that the ruling class would vie for “peace.” They would quietly allow England to be absorbed into fascist sentiments.

To Orwell, the bombing of London was not nearly as detrimental to the people’s morale as the visible rich, “the lady in the Rolls-Royce car” that disregarded the sacrifices others made for the war effort (64). The ruling class’s desire for a stabilized economy and the preservation of their wealth and power were the real threat that Orwell saw at the center of England’s struggle.