Posted by Tim Cratchit on December 02, 2002 at 02:59:12:
In Reply to: Re: Russia posted by Claus B. Storgaard on December 02, 2002 at 01:09:09:
Not so sure about it, Claus. The Animal Farm is a close parody on bolshevik revolution, but it is also a tale how the absolute power and revolutionary enthusiasm get abused from the very beginning, by its leaders.
1984 is even more general, in meaning: The Oceania society is certainly modeled after stalinist Russia, but Orwell goes a great lenght to make the reader aware that this is an independent regime - frequently in war with the neobolshevik Euroasia. Oceania's Ingsoc regime arose after a successful socialist revolution in England and US. The third competing superpover's ideology, east-asian Self-obliteration is supposed to have a spiritual, religious roots. These ideologies are "barely distinguishable and the regimes they support are not distinguishable at all"
I think it was not just the post-war might of Russia, that made Orwell very worried. It was the power worship of the Left - which best demonstrated itself in the uncritical pro-russian enthusiasm all over the word. It was also the militarisation of the world and the invention of nuclear bomb and reliable rockets.
Orwell's argument runs like this: Now, the history processes are well understood, and there are wepons that allow the superpowers posessing them to goble-up small states. And there are efficient techniques of centralized mass production of goods, and mind control and surveillance. Establishment of a horribly stable police state is possible and it may came about, if a class of dedicated people grabs the power and holds on it indefinitely.