George Orwell was one of the most significant literary figures on the left in the twentieth century. While books such as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, and Homage to Catalonia are regarded as modern classics, his own politics are less well understood. The author offers a sympathetic yet critical account of Orwell's political thinking and its continued significance. The book details Orwell's attempts to change working-class consciousness, and considers if his attitude towards the working class was romantic, realistic, or patronizing--or all three at different times. The author asks whether Orwell's anti-fascism was eclipsed by his criticism of the Soviet Union, and explores his ambivalent relationship with the Labour Party. The book also examines Orwell's changing views on the Second World War--from opposition to Britain entering the war to his later condemnations of pacifism. Focusing on the enduring interest in Orwell today, this is a unique, nuanced account which demonstrates that Orwell remained a committed socialist up until his death.

Orwell's politics is a study of George Orwell's political ideas and beliefs from his time as a policeman in Burma through to the publication of Nineteen Eighty-Four. It places Orwell's politics in historical context, examining his response to Imperialism, to mass unemployment in the 1930s, to revolution in Spain and to the Second World War and its aftermath. The book considers Orwell's belief that socialist revolution was the only road to victory in wartime Britain. It discusses his time at the BBC and at the leftwing Labour newspaper Tribune. Particular attention is paid to Orwell's American connection, to his writings for Partisan Review and for Politics. Orwell's belief that Russia had nothing in common with socialism is discussed and new sources for Nineteen Eighty-Four are identified. The book also discusses recent feminist critiques of Orwell's politics. Newsinger demonstrates that, while Orwell's political beliefs inevitably changed over the years, he remained a committed socialist up to the time of his death. Orwell's anti-Stalinism was a consequence of his socialism rather than a repudiation of it.

For over a decade from their foundation in 1905 in the USA, the Industrial Workers of the World (the IWW or Wobblies) fought tirelessly for socialist revolution. They forged a union movement that took up the struggle for the rights of women, immigrant and black workers at a time when other trade unions were busy dividing workers and colluding with employers. The Wobblies' courage and ingenuity continue to inspire new generations of socialists and trade unionists. This book looks at some of the most important IWW battles and the lessons we can draw from them today.

The period from 1910 to 1939 was one of the most explosive in British working class history. Them and Us looks at how the class struggle--embracing the struggles of women workers, immigrant workers, the unemployed and the fight against fascism--was fought in these years. The Labour Party and trade union leaderships were key players in the conflict, but their actions were often intended to undermine working class struggle. The ruling class had much to thank them for. Today when the working class is under a sustained and unprecedented attack from the Tories, Them and Us is an essential reminder of how past struggles were fought, of the unscrupulous nature of our enemy and of the need for militancy and solidarity to defeat them. John Newsinger draws on the words and actions of working class activists--and of their enemies--to bring to life key episodes in the struggle. Defeating the attempt to solve the current crisis at the expense of the working class requires a level of struggle that has not been seen in this country for many years. This is what we have to work towards and build for. Them and Us is a vital contribution to this fight. John Newsinger (1948- ) is a British Marxist and professor of history at Bath Spa University. Publisher's note.

The Dublin Lockout of 1913 is the most important industrial struggle in Irish history. It was a concerted attempt to crush militant trade unionism once and for all. With incredible courage the Dublin workers, led by Jim Larkin and the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, held out for nearly six months. A century on we can still learn tremendous lessons in the power of the rank and file, solidarity and the kind of revolutionary leadership we need in the labour movement.

John Newsinger's work offers a new view of Irish republicanism in the 1860s, seeing it as part of a European-wide nationalist phenomenon alongside is crucial role in the evolution of Irish republicanism. Newsinger charts the rise and fall of the Fenian movement in detail in Ireland as well as in Britain and the USA, examining the key events, developments and personalities, in particular the Fenian's attempts to establish an alliance with British radicalism. The book also covers related themes such as the impact of the Famine on Irish society and the British response, Irish confederation and the 1848 rising and the politics of John Mitchel - the founder of Irish republicanism.