One of my early memories of post-war Norway was a shadowy concern about Russia — our neighbor in the arctic north. Stalin coveted Norway’s frost-free ports (warmed by the Gulf Stream), and many feared the snarling bear on our border.
In contrast, the British press ignored Stalin’s atrocities. In his Introduction to Animal Farm, George Orwell decried the cowardly refusal of British publishers to criticize Communism — or to publish his book:
“…it was obvious that there would be great difficulty in getting it published …. One publisher actually started by accepting the book, but after making the preliminary arrangements he decided to consult the Ministry of Information [which apparently] warned him… against publishing it. Here is an extract from his letter:
“…it might be… highly ill-advised to publish at the present time. If the fable were addressed generally to dictators and dictatorships at large then publication would be all right, but the fable does follow… so completely the progress of the Russian Soviets and their two dictators, that it can apply only to Russia…. Another thing: …the choice of pigs as the ruling caste will no doubt give offence to many people….”
Indeed it would! By 1943, Marxism had gained much favor in England, Russia was an ally in the war against Hitler, and Fabian socialism had become a powerful political movement among British elites. Like Antonio Gramsci’s more subtle form of Communism, the Fabians encouraged gradualism, infiltration and deception rather than bloody revolutions.
This socialist movement fanned out across Europe and into America under the lofty banner of solidarity and common good. Since those two ideals are rarely defined or candidly explained, few understand what they actually imply. Ponder this brief summary of their new meanings.Click here to read this entire article.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.