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sammystarbuck 's review for:
The Road to Wigan Pier
by George Orwell
An interesting read, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. The fist part of the book is a discussion on poverty, and I think there's probably very little to disagree with there, dated as it is.
The second half however - Orwell's views on socialism - are a different kettle of fish, and obviously a product of the time that it was written in. One the one hand, he accurately predicts the rise of fascism (Hitler and WWII). On the other hand he did not yet know of Stalinist Russia and the terrible things done by a left-wing as extreme as Hitler's right. (moral of the story: extremism - of any kind = bad. World solved. We wish...)
It is interesting to note however, that some of the traits Orwell seems most upset about in the right (such as curtailing freedom of speech and resistance to progress) are now part of the ideology of the left.
It is obvious both political ideologies have undergone a great deal of change (and in some cases reversal) over the years between 1937, when this was first published, and now, and I'm finding it quite hard to judge this particular work by the standards of today, as the two simply don't correspond.
The second half however - Orwell's views on socialism - are a different kettle of fish, and obviously a product of the time that it was written in. One the one hand, he accurately predicts the rise of fascism (Hitler and WWII). On the other hand he did not yet know of Stalinist Russia and the terrible things done by a left-wing as extreme as Hitler's right. (moral of the story: extremism - of any kind = bad. World solved. We wish...)
It is interesting to note however, that some of the traits Orwell seems most upset about in the right (such as curtailing freedom of speech and resistance to progress) are now part of the ideology of the left.
It is obvious both political ideologies have undergone a great deal of change (and in some cases reversal) over the years between 1937, when this was first published, and now, and I'm finding it quite hard to judge this particular work by the standards of today, as the two simply don't correspond.