Why I Write

Orwell wrote as the Germans continued their attack of London. He argued that the events of World War II clarified how private capitalism did not work as a viable economic and social system. He introduced an analogy of how socialism would replace capitalism: screw-steamers and paddle-steamers are set to a race, with the more advanced screw-steamer winning. Orwell suggested that capitalism had run its course and that the next model, socialism, should be accepted.

Orwell defined socialism on the basis of production: “The State is the sole large-scale producer” and thus a country could better control supply and demand chains (48). Orwell’s main issue with capitalism was its inability to meet the demands of war and contribution to multiple English failures during World War II.

Socialism believes in equality and protection against a straited class system. Fascism shares the notion of State-controlled production but rests its foundation on social, racial, and cultural inequality. Orwell acknowledged that even though the Nazis’ plan to implement a global caste system was unfathomably “horrible,” their system worked because it was based on State-controlled production. Capitalism would not stop the Nazis from pursuing their goals.