There is a sort of backhanded admission of this in the dislike which nearly all foreigners feel for our national way of life.
And, as western peoples go, the English are very highly differentiated. Hitler’s June Purge, for instance, could not have happened in England. Things that could happen in one country could not happen in another. Till recently it was thought proper to pretend that all human beings are very much alike, but in fact anyone able to use his eyes knows that the average of human behaviour differs enormously from country to country. Hitler and Mussolini rose to power in their own countries very largely because they could grasp this fact and their opponents could not.Īlso, one must admit that the divisions between nation and nation are founded on real differences of outlook. Christianity and international Socialism are as weak as straw in comparison with it. In certain circumstances it can break down, at certain levels of civilization it does not exist, but as a positive force there is nothing to set beside it. One cannot see the modern world as it is unless one recognizes the overwhelming strength of patriotism, national loyalty. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil. 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.
Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. They are “only doing their duty”, as the saying goes. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. Part I: England Your England IĪs I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead, trying to kill me. It has never been easier to support our work. The Orwell Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to perpetuating George Orwell’s legacy, whether through the prestigious Orwell Prizes, The Orwell Youth Prize educational programme, cultural events and debates, or resources like this one. This material remains under copyright in the US and is reproduced here with the kind assistance of the Orwell Estate.
Home / Orwell / Essays and other works / The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius
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