Review of Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell

Homage to Catalonia is the story of George Orwell’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War. He originally went to Spain to write about the war. When he arrived in Spain it was very much run by collectives in the republican controlled territories. Labour unions controlled most of the businesses, such as transport, hotels and the telephone exchange. He loved the way the republicans attempted to treat everyone equally. It was, except for shortages of some foods, verging on what Orwell imagined as a worker’s paradise. For him, this was something worth fighting for.

Orwell joined a militia run by POUM or Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista, which translates to the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification. The POUM suited Orwell’s desire to fight for an organisation whose goal was a society run by collectives where everyone’s treated equally and there is no leadership hierarchy.

Orwell tells of the complete lack of training of recruits to that militia. He had two weeks of “training” where they just marched around. They were not shown how to fight or fire a rifle. They weren’t armed until they completed their training. The weapons they received were antiquated with many not in proper working condition. But at least the militia looked respectable enough, in their mismatched uniforms, when they marched out of town to the frontlines.

His militia was positioned in the mountains on a hilltop facing off against the fascists hundreds of metres away. They were too far apart for any deadly exchanges of fire. His militia was in a holding position, used to prevent any advances from the fascists while the republican government trained an army. The fascists seemed to be concentrating on arming themselves, so they were not interested in advancing in those hills either. Because Orwell was British it was assumed he knew something about fighting, so he was made a corporal, even though he spoke little Spanish. The real dangers for Orwell and his fellow volunteers were the cold, risking inaccurate enemy fire when out scavenging for firewood and food, and being shot by their own side.

His militia was eventually moved to a position closer to the active front lines. This is where Orwell saw his first action. He appears to have been a competent soldier. He carried out orders and advanced under fire as he led his squad of soldiers, but he was an inaccurate rifle shooter, so he doubts whether he shot anyone. He did throw a bomb which he thinks killed a few of the enemy. He was not that fearful, in fact he appeared to be a bit reckless. He wanted to help defeat the fascists and stop their gradual takeover of Europe.

After a few months, he returned on leave to Barcelona where he discovered the worker’s collective was falling apart. The PSUC or Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya, which translates to the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia, were trying to take control of the republican government. When Orwell arrived in Barcelona he hoped to relax with his visiting wife, instead he was caught up in a standoff in the barricaded POUM head office as the PSUC run police force threaten to storm it.

Orwell returned to the front and was seriously injured by a sniper. He was evacuated for medical treatment. Due to his injuries, he then went to Barcelona to get his military discharge papers. There he found the PSUC purging other political groups like his POUM. After close comrades of his were arrested, he decided to escape Spain rather than risk being thrown in jail and probably executed. Orwell’s wife played a pivotal role in helping both of them escape.

Homage to Catalonia was written only six months after Orwell escaped from Spain. It is obvious how his experiences in Spain influenced his later novels. His witnessing of the collapse of the worker’s collectives in Spain shows in how the pigs took control in Animal Farm. Orwell said the press was full of propaganda and lies about the war. He said that in many cases what the British press wrote had not the slightest factual truth to what was actually happening. He also noted that the left’s press in England went from “War is Hell” to “War is Glorious”. The dishonesty of the press would have influenced his Ministry of Truth in 1984. It is disquieting to think that if the bullet that hit him had been fractionally to the side, 1984, one of the most influential novels of all time, would not have been written.

Orwell says the republican’s eventually loss was not due to their infighting - which didn’t help - but due to the fascist nationalists being better armed. They were getting weapons from Germany and Italy (and troops too), while no outside government did much to support the republicans.

Homage to Catalonia is an informative, thought provoking, and entertaining read about one of the pivotal conflicts of the twentieth century. Who knows what effect it might have had on Hitler’s plans if the republicans had defeated Franco’s fascists. My respect for Orwell as a man who stood up for what he believed in increased after reading it. But, as Orwell says in the book, any personal account of a war is biased towards the experiences, knowledge and prejudices of its teller.