283:"In intention, at any rate, the English intelligentsia are Europeanized. They take their cookery from Paris and their opinions from Moscow. In the general patriotism of the country they form a sort of island of dissident thought. England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their own nationality. In left-wing circles it is always felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution, from horse racing to suet puddings. It is a strange fact, but it is unquestionably true that almost any English intellectual would feel more ashamed of standing to attention during ‘
244:"And even the distinction between rich and poor dwindles somewhat when one regards the nation from the outside. There is no question about the inequality of wealth in England. It is grosser than in any European country, and you have only to look down the nearest street to see it. Economically, England is certainly two nations, if not three or four. But at the same time the vast majority of the people feel themselves to be a single nation and are conscious of resembling one another more than they resemble foreigners. Patriotism is usually stronger than class-hatred, and always stronger than any kind of internationalism. Except for a brief moment in 1920 (the '
216:"One gets a better view of this question if one considers the minor point first. It is quite true that the so-called races of Britain feel themselves to be very different from one another. A Scotsman, for instance, does not thank you if you call him an Englishman. You can see the hesitation we feel on this point by the fact that we call our islands by no less than six different names, England, Britain, Great Britain, the British Isles, the United Kingdom and, in very exalted moments,
213:"They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are 'only doing their duty', as the saying goes. Most of them would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any the worse for it. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil."
27:
290:"The British ruling class were not altogether wrong in thinking that Fascism was on their side. It is a fact that any rich man, unless he is a Jew, has less to fear from Fascism than from either Communism or democratic Socialism. One ought never to forget this, for nearly the whole of German and Italian propaganda is designed to cover it up."
220:. Even the differences between north and south England loom large in our own eyes. But somehow these differences fade away the moment that any two Britons are confronted by a European. It is very rare to meet a foreigner, other than an American, who can distinguish between English and Scots or even English and Irish. To a Frenchman, the
181:
were staunchly opposed to communism that their views were "England-friendly" and thus they cheered whenever
Mussolini's bombers would sink a ship ferrying supplies to support Spanish republicans. It was not until the election came around that they realised that Franco's victory would be a severe blow
143:
flew overhead. It was his attempt to define
English culture and the English people for the rest of the world as he feared that it might soon be wiped out by the Nazis. In the essay he also wrote that England would not change into a fascist state and could not unless she was thoroughly broken.
260:. He got a quarter of a million men in the first twenty-four hours, and another million in the subsequent month. One has only to compare these figures with, for instance, the number of conscientious objectors to see how vast is the strength of traditional loyalties compared with new ones."
248:' movement) the British working class have never thought or acted internationally. For two and a half years they watched their comrades in Spain slowly strangled, and never aided them by even a single strike. But when their own country (the country of Lord Nuffield and Mr
201:, English, etc..., everyone considered themselves British as soon as a need to defend their land arose. He also theorized that it might be more appropriate to divide Britons by financial classes which would result in two, or maybe even three or four, Britains.
182:
to
England. Thus they realised that Fascism is bad for England due to its revolutionary origins or heavily military-dependent system of policing and control. Orwell himself, however, admits that Fascism is a better system for the wealthy, unless you were a
168:
Orwell described
England as one of the most democratic nations of the time, but also stated that it lacked a true worldview and had replaced it with a level of fervent patriotism. He supported this argument with reference to the fact that English
279:
will be forgotten, but
England will still be England, an everlasting animal stretching into the future and the past, and, like all living things, having the power to change out of recognition and yet remain the
232:
is a stock joke in Paris. Yet we speak of 'France' and 'the French', recognising France as an entity, a single civilisation, which in fact it is. So also with ourselves. Looked at from the outsider even the
753:
602:
149:
376:
271:
and the misty skies. It needs some very great disaster, such as prolonged subjugation by a foreign enemy, to destroy a national culture. The
275:
will be pulled down, the horse plough will give way to the tractor, the country houses will be turned into children's holiday camps, the
854:
739:
704:
110:
173:
and businessmen thought
Fascism was a system that was compatible with the English economy. The gentry believed that simply because
91:
48:
41:
975:
781:
774:
475:
333:
63:
767:
690:
70:
697:
300:
760:
252:) was in danger, their attitude was very different. At the moment when it seemed likely that England might be invaded,
369:
77:
746:
651:
644:
549:
432:
394:
37:
616:
609:
424:
59:
862:
810:
588:
581:
257:
945:
900:
321:
The
Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell Volume 2: My Country Right or Left (1940–1943)
483:
362:
263:"The intellectuals who hope to see it Russianised or Germanised will be disappointed. The gentleness, the
940:
665:
658:
980:
846:
718:
630:
542:
456:
187:
267:, the thoughtlessness, the reverence for law and the hatred of uniforms will remain, along with the
895:
683:
637:
491:
162:
84:
924:
890:
336:
was highly popular at the time when the essay was written, and Orwell is likely to have heard it.
885:
725:
567:
535:
528:
440:
284:
158:
910:
711:
574:
245:
174:
839:
732:
623:
272:
249:
969:
385:
349:
276:
128:
935:
930:
905:
416:
268:
253:
210:"As I write, highly civilised human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me."
178:
140:
917:
832:
788:
448:
154:
26:
229:
880:
521:
264:
238:
132:
225:
194:
234:
221:
153:, published 19 January 1941, as the first volume of a series edited by
217:
170:
136:
193:
Orwell argues that although
Britain had many nationalities such as
198:
354:
358:
183:
20:
754:
Politics vs. Literature: An
Examination of Gulliver's Travels
150:
The Lion and the
Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius
873:
824:
802:
675:
559:
513:
506:
467:
408:
401:
228:seem very different beings, and the accent of
370:
8:
127:" is an essay written by the English author
672:
510:
405:
377:
363:
355:
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
312:
47:Please improve this article by adding
319:Orwell, Sonia and Angus, Ian (eds.).
7:
287:’ than of stealing from a poor box."
241:have a strong family resemblance."
14:
855:Inside the Whale and Other Essays
740:Politics and the English Language
705:A Good Word for the Vicar of Bray
782:Some Thoughts on the Common Toad
775:Second Thoughts on James Burnham
476:Down and Out in Paris and London
147:The essay was the first part of
25:
691:Confessions of a Book Reviewer
1:
698:Decline of the English Murder
334:There'll Always Be an England
301:Bibliography of George Orwell
49:secondary or tertiary sources
761:The Prevention of Literature
256:appealed over the radio for
997:
747:The Politics of Starvation
645:Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool
550:Spilling the Spanish Beans
433:Keep the Aspidistra Flying
954:
617:Raffles and Miss Blandish
610:Poetry and the Microphone
392:
811:Such, Such Were the Joys
603:The Lion and the Unicorn
589:The Art of Donald McGill
582:My Country Right or Left
258:Local Defence Volunteers
976:Essays by George Orwell
768:Riding Down from Bangor
484:The Road to Wigan Pier
425:A Clergyman's Daughter
60:"England Your England"
36:relies excessively on
16:Essay by George Orwell
941:The Orwell Foundation
666:Reflections on Gandhi
659:Toward European Unity
277:Eton and Harrow match
901:Eileen O'Shaughnessy
847:Betrayal of the Left
719:The Moon Under Water
631:Notes on Nationalism
596:England Your England
543:Shooting an Elephant
457:Nineteen Eighty-Four
188:democratic socialism
186:, than Communism or
163:Secker & Warburg
125:England Your England
896:Victor Gollancz Ltd
684:Books v. Cigarettes
638:The Sporting Spirit
492:Homage to Catalonia
157:and Orwell, in the
925:Why Orwell Matters
891:Secker and Warburg
652:The English People
963:
962:
886:Searchlight Books
820:
819:
798:
797:
726:A Nice Cup of Tea
536:Bookshop Memories
502:
501:
441:Coming Up for Air
285:God Save the King
159:Searchlight Books
121:
120:
113:
95:
988:
712:How the Poor Die
673:
575:Inside the Whale
511:
406:
379:
372:
365:
356:
337:
330:
324:
317:
246:Hands off Russia
175:Benito Mussolini
116:
109:
105:
102:
96:
94:
53:
29:
21:
996:
995:
991:
990:
989:
987:
986:
985:
966:
965:
964:
959:
950:
869:
863:Critical Essays
816:
794:
671:
555:
498:
463:
397:
388:
383:
346:
341:
340:
331:
327:
318:
314:
309:
297:
207:
117:
106:
100:
97:
54:
52:
46:
42:primary sources
30:
17:
12:
11:
5:
994:
992:
984:
983:
978:
968:
967:
961:
960:
955:
952:
951:
949:
948:
943:
938:
933:
928:
921:
914:
908:
903:
898:
893:
888:
883:
877:
875:
871:
870:
868:
867:
859:
851:
843:
840:London Letters
836:
828:
826:
822:
821:
818:
817:
815:
814:
806:
804:
800:
799:
796:
795:
793:
792:
785:
778:
771:
764:
757:
750:
743:
736:
733:Pleasure Spots
729:
722:
715:
708:
701:
694:
687:
679:
677:
670:
669:
662:
655:
648:
641:
634:
627:
624:Good Bad Books
620:
613:
606:
599:
592:
585:
578:
571:
568:Boys' Weeklies
563:
561:
557:
556:
554:
553:
546:
539:
532:
525:
517:
515:
508:
504:
503:
500:
499:
497:
496:
488:
480:
471:
469:
465:
464:
462:
461:
453:
445:
437:
429:
421:
412:
410:
403:
399:
398:
393:
390:
389:
384:
382:
381:
374:
367:
359:
353:
352:
345:
344:External links
342:
339:
338:
325:
311:
310:
308:
305:
304:
303:
296:
293:
292:
291:
288:
281:
273:Stock Exchange
261:
250:Montagu Norman
242:
214:
211:
206:
203:
119:
118:
33:
31:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
993:
982:
979:
977:
974:
973:
971:
958:
953:
947:
944:
942:
939:
937:
934:
932:
929:
927:
926:
922:
920:
919:
918:Eric & Us
915:
912:
911:Orwell's list
909:
907:
904:
902:
899:
897:
894:
892:
889:
887:
884:
882:
879:
878:
876:
872:
865:
864:
860:
857:
856:
852:
849:
848:
844:
842:" (1941–1946)
841:
837:
835:" (1943–1947)
834:
830:
829:
827:
823:
812:
808:
807:
805:
801:
790:
786:
783:
779:
776:
772:
769:
765:
762:
758:
755:
751:
748:
744:
741:
737:
734:
730:
727:
723:
720:
716:
713:
709:
706:
702:
699:
695:
692:
688:
685:
681:
680:
678:
674:
667:
663:
660:
656:
653:
649:
646:
642:
639:
635:
632:
628:
625:
621:
618:
614:
611:
607:
604:
600:
597:
593:
590:
586:
583:
579:
576:
572:
569:
565:
564:
562:
558:
551:
547:
544:
540:
537:
533:
530:
526:
523:
519:
518:
516:
512:
509:
505:
494:
493:
489:
486:
485:
481:
478:
477:
473:
472:
470:
466:
459:
458:
454:
451:
450:
446:
443:
442:
438:
435:
434:
430:
427:
426:
422:
419:
418:
414:
413:
411:
407:
404:
400:
396:
391:
387:
386:George Orwell
380:
375:
373:
368:
366:
361:
360:
357:
351:
348:
347:
343:
335:
329:
326:
322:
316:
313:
306:
302:
299:
298:
294:
289:
286:
282:
278:
274:
270:
269:suet puddings
266:
262:
259:
255:
251:
247:
243:
240:
236:
231:
227:
223:
219:
215:
212:
209:
208:
204:
202:
200:
196:
191:
189:
185:
180:
176:
172:
166:
164:
161:published by
160:
156:
152:
151:
145:
142:
138:
134:
130:
129:George Orwell
126:
115:
112:
104:
93:
90:
86:
83:
79:
76:
72:
69:
65:
62: –
61:
57:
56:Find sources:
50:
44:
43:
39:
34:This article
32:
28:
23:
22:
19:
956:
936:Orwell Prize
931:Orwell Award
923:
916:
906:Sonia Orwell
861:
853:
845:
595:
490:
482:
474:
455:
447:
439:
431:
423:
417:Burmese Days
415:
395:Bibliography
328:
320:
315:
254:Anthony Eden
239:Yorkshireman
192:
179:Adolf Hitler
167:
148:
146:
141:Nazi Germany
124:
122:
107:
98:
88:
81:
74:
67:
55:
35:
18:
981:1941 essays
833:As I Please
825:Collections
789:Why I Write
449:Animal Farm
350:Online text
155:T. R. Fyvel
135:of 1941 as
970:Categories
468:Nonfiction
307:References
230:Marseilles
205:Quotations
71:newspapers
38:references
881:Orwellian
529:The Spike
522:A Hanging
332:The song
323:(Penguin)
265:hypocrisy
226:Auvergnat
133:The Blitz
101:June 2007
813:" (1952)
791:" (1946)
784:" (1946)
777:" (1946)
770:" (1946)
763:" (1946)
756:" (1946)
749:" (1946)
742:" (1946)
735:" (1946)
728:" (1946)
721:" (1946)
714:" (1946)
707:" (1946)
700:" (1946)
693:" (1946)
686:" (1946)
668:" (1949)
661:" (1947)
654:" (1947)
647:" (1947)
640:" (1945)
633:" (1945)
626:" (1945)
619:" (1944)
612:" (1943)
605:" (1941)
598:" (1941)
591:" (1941)
584:" (1940)
577:" (1940)
570:" (1940)
552:" (1937)
545:" (1936)
538:" (1936)
531:" (1931)
524:" (1931)
295:See also
237:and the
224:and the
199:Welshmen
874:Related
409:Fiction
235:cockney
137:bombers
131:during
85:scholar
957:Portal
946:Statue
913:(1949)
866:(1946)
858:(1940)
850:(1941)
507:Essays
495:(1938)
487:(1937)
479:(1933)
460:(1949)
452:(1945)
444:(1939)
436:(1936)
428:(1935)
420:(1934)
402:Novels
280:same."
222:Breton
218:Albion
171:gentry
87:
80:
73:
66:
58:
803:1950s
560:1940s
514:1930s
195:Scots
92:JSTOR
78:books
676:1946
177:and
64:news
184:Jew
139:of
40:to
972::
197:,
190:.
165:.
51:.
838:"
831:"
809:"
787:"
780:"
773:"
766:"
759:"
752:"
745:"
738:"
731:"
724:"
717:"
710:"
703:"
696:"
689:"
682:"
664:"
657:"
650:"
643:"
636:"
629:"
622:"
615:"
608:"
601:"
594:"
587:"
580:"
573:"
566:"
548:"
541:"
534:"
527:"
520:"
378:e
371:t
364:v
123:"
114:)
108:(
103:)
99:(
89:·
82:·
75:·
68:·
45:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
