“Between them these two books sum up our present predicament. Capitalism leads to dole queues , the scramble for markets, and war. Collectivism leads to concentration camps, leader worship, and war. There is no way out of this unless a planned economy can somehow be combined with the freedom of the intellect, which can only happen if the concept of right and wrong is restored to politics.”
Review of The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek & The Mirror of the Past by K. Zilliacus, reviewed in The Observer (1944-04-09.
Emphasis mine. Orwell might have known his stuff about fascism, but his economics knowledge is nil.
I posted about this previously, it can be found here:
I haven’t read anything about him criticizing Stalin or Trotsky but he wrote a great deal expressing his hatred for Hitler. He was a democratic socialist but it’s paradoxical because he said “It has always been obvious that a planned and centralized society is liable to develop into an oligarchy or a dictatorship" From this quote and some other statements Orwell made it seems as if he understands socialism and planning will lead to totalitarianism, the same kind he appeared to be so fervently ag…
While I still like Orwell’s novels, particularly 1984 , Animal Farm , and Burmese Days after researching into his asburd paradoxes I realize that he wasn’t a staunch defender of freedom as many claim him to be.
In liberty,
Chris