The Possibility of Revolution Theme Analysis

Orwell goes to Spain because he believes it is his duty to fight the rise of Fascism in Europe. When he arrives in Barcelona, he is fascinated to discover that a social revolution is underway and he supports the attempt to build a democratic society with neither poverty nor class divisions. While he initially finds the political climate in Spain inspiring and believes that he is living in a society that has made social equality a reality, Orwell comes to realize that his rosy initial impression of the socialist revolution was simplistic and naïve. Although Orwell never ceases to believe in socialist ideals, he comes to doubt that people could truly come to embody such ideals in their daily lives.

Upon his arrival in Barcelona, Orwell has a naïve and idealistic impression of the city as a perfect example of social equality. Everyone is wearing working-class dress, treating each other as equals, and using the informal pronoun “tú.” Revolutionary songs are playing everywhere. Orwell sees no poverty and notices that everyone seems hopeful and satisfied. He is convinced that this is a situation of perfect equality and freedom, a model for what the results of a successful socialist revolution could be. Similarly, Orwell’s initial experience as part of the Marxist (or “POUM”) militia leads him to believe that an egalitarian militia bonded by political passion rather than military hierarchy can be effective in battle. The POUM militia is organized without barriers of rank, so all members of the militia treat each other as equals. In fact, men who disagree with orders are even allowed to argue with their officers. Orwell is originally shocked by this, since he sees it as a potentially chaotic or ineffectual way to organize troops. However, Orwell quickly comes to admire the militia. An equalitarian system of this sort, he argues, instills an uncommon sense of loyalty in its members, who are bonded by a belief in the principles of democracy and a feeling of comradeship. Rather than obeying orders out of fear, revolutionary soldiers act out of personal conviction, making them less likely to desert their post and abandon the cause.

As the war drags on, Orwell realizes that his initial ideas about Barcelona and the militia were far too idealistic. After fighting for three and a half months, Orwell returns to Barcelona to find that the social climate has changed, with the working class no longer seeming to dominate the city. He realizes that class divisions had never actually disappeared. Rather, many upper-class members of society were cultivating a working-class appearance to fit in and keep themselves safe from political violence against the wealthy. As Barcelona lost its revolutionary spirit, the city returned to the status quo in which poverty and class divisions were not only present, but palpable. Orwell also reconsiders his rosy initial assessment of the militia in light of the fact that fighting for revolution failed. He acknowledges that, while the revolutionary militias may have been useful at the beginning of the conflict, a more efficient and well-organized military might have handled the complexity of warfare more successfully overall.

Although Spain’s attempts at political revolution failed, Orwell does see flashes of possibility for success during his time there, as well as reasons to be cautious about believing in the possibility of revolution. He remarks that social equality seemed most like an attainable goal at the front, where soldiers were united in their life-and-death fight against a common enemy. He describes interpersonal interactions at the front as being characterized by respect and feelings of comradeship, which suggests that political strife can foster the conditions of equality by moving people to act in defense of their shared beliefs. However, a society cannot flourish if it is constantly under siege, and in places like Barcelona that were removed from any actual fighting, civilians quickly lost sight of the revolutionary ideals that made war necessary. Class hierarchies re-emerged, and civilians went back to focusing on their daily lives and waited for the war to be over. People lose sight of their political ideals in the mix of practical concerns and everyday life, Orwell suggests—a fact which makes staging a successful socialist revolution extremely difficult, if not impossible.