Why Did National Review Endorse Homage To Cataloni

[AlwaysAnarchy]

Was surprised when I read on the back of my "Homage to Catalonlia copy ( the classic account of the Spanish civil war by George Orwell) that it was apparently endorsed as one of the "top 10 nonfiction books of the century" by National Review. The only "National Review" I am aware of is the ultra conservative one made by Republicans?

Orwell was a socialist and was openly sympathetic to the socialist cause, he even still wanted the Communists to win the war even though he disagreed with them.

So why would the conservatives endorse it??

[Raúl Duke]

Maybe because in the end the spanish revolution was lost?
Maybe had something with republican infighting? (you know, the story -don't take this as a secterian offense- about how the leninist have attacked the anarchists, etc)

I really wouldn't know.... :unsure:

[which doctor]

It was actually ranked #3 of non-fiction books by the conservative publication National Review.

For some reason National Review likes George Orwell.

[Kropotkin Has a Posse]

Don't tell them he was a Democratic Socialist and an anti-Zionist. :P

[rouchambeau]

It's already been spinned to make it look like the story was one of democracy against fascism. No wonder conservatives would love it.

[Janus]

For some reason National Review likes George Orwell.
Orwell was opposed to totalitarianism and thus strongly opposed to the USSR. It's also quite easy to interpret his book 1984 and Animal Farm as anti-communist pieces which is why they're required reading in some schools.

[Kropotkin Has a Posse]

Parts of Goldstein's Book are almost a manifesto for democratic socialism, I think.

[apathy maybe]

What Janus says is correct, in fact even some on the left interpret them as being anti-socialist pieces (which is strange if you consider his previous work, such as Homage to Catalonia).

As to the National Review, I&#39;m going to guess it is the British one. Though according to the Wikipedia article < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Review_%28London%29 >, it too was conservative. Can&#39;t really give a reason why they would endorse the book.

[Severian]

There are a certain number of Schachtman-type ex-leftists who are part of the whole "neoconservative" phenomenon. Really, that&#39;s what distinguishes "neoconservativism" from other kinds of conservativism.

[which doctor]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24, 2007 07:14 pm
There are a certain number of Schachtman-type ex-leftists who are part of the whole "neoconservative" phenomenon. Really, that&#39;s what distinguishes "neoconservativism" from other kinds of conservativism.
I would think that paleocons would like Orwell more than neocons would.

[Aurora]

The Communist Manifesto is in penguins "Great Ideas" selection of books.

[Severian]

Originally posted by [email protected] 23, 2007 11:33 pm
Parts of Goldstein&#39;s Book are almost a manifesto for democratic socialism, I think.
I don&#39;t think so. It more resembles the writing of James Burnham - even in style - and Orwell had certainly read and thought about Burnham. (http://orwell.ru/library/reviews/burnham/english/e_burnh.html)

Orwell didn&#39;t much care for Burnham, either. So it&#39;s probably not accidental that in 1984, it turns out that "Goldstein&#39;s" book was actually written by the Party.

[Lenin's Law]

Originally posted by [email protected] 24, 2007 12:27 am

For some reason National Review likes George Orwell.
Orwell was opposed to totalitarianism and thus strongly opposed to the USSR. It&#39;s also quite easy to interpret his book 1984 and Animal Farm as anti-communist pieces which is why they&#39;re required reading in some schools.
Exactly. The conservatives use Orwell as an "anti Communist" message without paying any regard to what he actually advocated. So in "Homage to Catalonia" the big story wasn&#39;t what the Anarchists and Socialists created in Barcelona, at least for a short time, but the betrayal by the official Stalinist parties which could then be used for another anti-Soviet (or anti- "Communist") hit piece.

Anything that makes the USSR or "Communism" (read Stalinism) look bad is all the reason the NR needs.

[CNT-FAI]

Yes. The irony is that Western capitalists, mainly Americans, built the initial Soviet industrial infrastructure. See the scrupulously documented book, WESTERN TECHNOLOGY & SOVIET ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Vol 1, by Anthony Sutton.

Not surprisingly out of print, since the info is something the bosses AND many Leftists would like to bury. Must reading, changes our whole view of 20th century history.

Orwell, like the rest of the POUM, was personally persecuted by the NKVD; that & seeing what was done to the revolutionary effort overall by Stalin soured him forever on Stalinism. In the beginning he favored the Stalinist strategy but not enough to join the International Brigades.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/t...and_freedom.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/Land_and_freedom.jpg/225px-Land_and_freedom.jpg)

http://usuarios.lycos.es/teranyina/hpbimg/poum.gif