George Orwell's Critique of Socialism in The Road to Wigan Pier

Orwell critiques socialism and argues against it, pointing out its flaws and the challenges it faces in the face of rising fascism, while also acknowledging the need to address the problems of a socialist machine age 

Questions to inspire discussion

• What is Orwell's view on socialism?

  —Orwell argues for socialism as a solution to poverty and hopelessness observed during the depression in England.

• Why is socialism declining?

  —Socialism is declining due to mistaken propaganda methods, making it inherently distasteful and driving away potential supporters.

• What is the problem with socialist literature?

  —Socialist literature is often written in a condescending and highbrow manner, filled with technical jargon that does not connect with the working class.

• What is the main issue with socialism and fascism?

  —Socialism is declining while fascism is on the rise, posing a problem for those in favor of socialism.

• What is the focus of a new socialist movement?

  —A new socialist movement should focus on uniting all exploited people and promoting common decency, rather than internal factions and theoretical aspects of socialism. 

Key Insights

• 🔨 The current system is broken and leading to millions of people in desperate circumstances, not only materially but also psychologically and politically.
• 🔄 The cause of socialism is visibly going back, despite the failure of capitalism.
• 🌍 Orwell argues that the belief in socialism arriving by historic necessity has been exploded by the 1930s.
• 🤔 He challenges the idea that theoretical book-trained socialists are truly motivated by love for the working class, raising doubts about their sincerity.
• 🔍 Socialism is not just about love for the working class, but a hypertrophied sense of order and the desire to abolish poverty and habits by force, even violence.
• 🔥 Orwell suggests that socialism appeals chiefly to unsatisfactory or even inhuman types, sparking frenzies of rage and class self-hatred.
• 🌍 "The real battle right now is capitalism has impoverished most people and fascism has conquered half of Europe."
• 🇬🇧 "You can love England and be a patriot and still be a part of the Socialist movement as well, as saving the 20 million Englishmen from malnutrition is the dominant problem." 

#StephenHicks #Philosophy #GeorgeOrwell 

Clips  

• 00:00 📚 George Orwell argues for socialism as a solution to poverty and hopelessness, but faces challenges as fascism rises.
  • George Orwell argues for socialism in his book "The Road to Wigan Pier" as a solution to the poverty and hopelessness he observed during the depression in England.
  • The current system is broken and leading to desperate circumstances for millions of people, with no chance of improvement, both materially and psychologically, so the solution is unclear.
  • Socialism, according to Orwell, is the obvious solution for ensuring fair provisions and cooperation for all.
  • Socialism is declining while fascism is on the rise, posing a problem for those in favor of socialism.
• 05:16 🌐 Socialism is less accepted due to mistaken propaganda, with a shift in belief after the Russian Revolution leading to a rethinking of approach and a need for critical self-examination.
  • Socialism is less accepted now due to mistaken propaganda methods, making it inherently distasteful and driving away potential supporters.
  • Orwell argues that socialism underwent a significant change after the Russian Revolution, with the dominance of the Marxist leninist cause leading to a shift in belief about the arrival of socialism.
  • Socialists are rethinking their approach and considering incorporating democratic elements in response to the apparent failures of socialism.
  • Understanding and addressing the distaste for socialism requires critical self-examination and a sympathetic understanding of those outside the socialist movement.
  • The speaker sympathetically presents the arguments of socialism, addressing the demographic misconceptions and stereotypes associated with it.
  • Orwell argues that socialism attracts a demographic of youthful snobs, prim little men with white-collar jobs, and various weirdos, who cling to their social prestige despite pining for a classless society.
• 12:23 📚 Orwell criticizes the condescending and highbrow manner of socialist literature, questioning the true motives of theoretical socialists and their desire for power and order.
  • Socialist literature is often written in a condescending and highbrow manner, filled with technical jargon that does not connect with the working class.
  • The theoretical socialist may claim to be motivated by love of the working class, but Orwell questions whether their true motive is actually something else.
  • Socialists are driven by a desire for order and power, even to the point of using violence to impose their vision on the working class.
  • Orwell criticizes the admiration for powerful leaders and the condescending attitude of some socialists towards the working class.
• 17:32 📚 Orwell critiques socialism, noting its appeal to unsatisfactory types, lack of quality in socialist literature, and the difficulty of intelligent people being on the other side of the debate.
  • Revolution is often driven by a masked hatred of the rich and powerful, rather than genuine love and support for the oppressed and exploited.
  • Socialism, as Orwell sees it, appeals mainly to unsatisfactory or inhuman types, but the essential aims of socialism are appealing to the ordinary decent person.
  • Socialist movements are judged by their adherents, and Orwell criticizes the lack of quality in socialist literature, plays, and music.
  • Orwell discusses the problems of socialism and the difficulty of intelligent people being on the other side of the debate.
• 22:11 📚 Socialists fail to understand opposition to socialism, as Orwell discusses the rise of fascism due to economic problems and the appeal of its ideology to non-capitalists.
  • Socialists often attribute opposition to socialism to corrupt motives or ignorance, but fail to understand that some people are repelled by the methods and objectives of socialism.
  • Orwell discusses the attraction of fascism to some intelligent people who disagree with socialism, and argues that the working class under capitalism becomes more exploited and oppressed, leading to the rise of fascism.
  • Democratic types will capture energy that would have gone to Communism, leading to the rise of fascism due to underlying economic problems generated by capitalism.
  • Fascism appeals to non-capitalists because they feel oppressed by capitalists and are drawn to the ideological aspects of fascism, despite recognizing their economic analysis.
• 27:31 📚 Orwell discusses the complex motives of human beings, the appeal of fascism, and the recoil from socialism, as well as the vision of a highly mechanized society.
  • Human beings have complex and fundamental motives, including love for their country and religion.
  • Marxists and Socialists focus on the economic aspect, while fascists appeal to people by also addressing their religion, ethnicity, and patriotism, leading Orwell to discuss the spiritual recoil from socialism and the need to speak to people where they really are.
  • Socialism is closely tied to industrialism and the idea of machine production, leading to the belief that everything will be collectivized and organized by machines.
  • Socialists often envision a highly mechanized and organized world, but many people recoil from the idea of becoming slaves to the machine and instead seek a more ordered and efficient society.
• 31:59 📚 Orwell argues against socialism because machinery takes away the meaning and humanity from people's lives, leading to alienation and job loss for the working class, but acknowledges the inevitability of machines and the need to address the problems of a socialist machine age.
  • The ideal of a society of little fat men created by mechanical progress leads to a loss of meaning in people's lives, which is why Orwell argues against socialism.
  • Machinery doing all the work takes away the sense of meaning and humanity from people, and the working class will be put out of a job by mechanization.
  • Socialism can alienate people by making them yearn for a simpler, more relaxed way of life, but Orwell acknowledges that machines are here to stay and the focus should be on the problems of a socialist machine age.
• 36:04 📚 Orwell discusses the overlap between fascism and socialism, the need for unity among socialists, and the importance of prioritizing poverty over class distinctions.
  • The speaker discusses the desire for progress and comfort in modern life, while also addressing the problem of fascism as a perversion of socialism.
  • Orwell argues that there is overlap between fascism and socialism, with both having underlying motivations of concern for the poor and unemployed, but the dominant socialist strategies have been wrong, allowing fascism to play upon instincts that revolt against hedonism and a cheap conception of progress.
  • Socialism in the 1930s was seen as a movement of cranks and weirdos, but Orwell believes there is potential for a sympathetic audience and a need to find a better way to market it.
  • The most important issue is getting all socialists together and focusing on the movement, rather than internal factions and theoretical aspects of socialism.
  • To be a good socialist, one must prioritize solving poverty over minor differences and class distinctions, and not look down on others for not understanding highbrow literature like Shakespeare.
  • Orwell argues that the issue of class, beyond economic status, needs to be faced realistically, and that a new socialist movement should focus on uniting all exploited people and promoting common decency.

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