To Orwell Today,

Hello, how far would you say that George Orwell's 1984 is accurate as a critique of Stalinist society in the 1930's? I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
Mary Huxley

Greetings Mary,

In writing "1984" Orwell used his knowledge of life in Russia (gained from reading and meeting people who had been there) after the 1917 Communist Revolution which saw Lenin, Stalin and their fellow "comrades" subject the Russian people to never-ending torture, enslavement, starvation, and total suppression of thought and speech. See MY JOURNEY THROUGH FAMINE-STRICKEN RUSSIA and EXPERIENCES IN RUSSIA 1931 and SOVIET UNION FAMINE EXPOSURE 1930-35 and NO ESCAPE FOR GULAG'S PRISONERS and GULAG'S HAUNTING LEGACY.

In Stalin's Russia (as now) the top goons lived lives of luxury and decadence (in the Tzar's palaces etc). And bureaucrats towing the Party line received favoured treatment as well, compared to the masses who were treated like cattle. See RUSSIA IS HELL'S INFERNO.

"1984" was also about Capitalist society being a mirror-image of Communism - and why Orwell named the system "Oligarchical Collectivism" following the policies set out in the book written by Emmanuel Goldstein, the leader of the secret Brotherhood which rules the world under the evil organization named Big Brother.

In "1984" Orwell added some high-tech features that allow the tyranny of Big Brother to be even worse than any preceding it, but on the whole everything described in "1984" had been practiced in the world in the past, and would be merely expanded to its ultimate horror in the future.

All the best,
Jackie Jura