Freedom of speech and publication
Freedom in the park
Except for people of color
Fascism and Democracy
What is fascism?
Prospects for a Totalitarian Future
Book Review: Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf (Uncut Translation)
Predicting fascism
Freedom and happiness
Review: Hadley Cantril's "Mars Attacks"
The corruption of language
Literature and Totalitarianism
Translator's Note: Examining the Fundamentals Under Dark Clouds
George Orwell Chronology

Reflecting on the crisis of democracy and freedom
George Orwell's message

Few authors are mentioned and quoted as much today as George Orwell.
His books are sought after by many people in many countries around the world, and after Trump's inauguration in 2017, "1984" even rose to the number one spot on Amazon's bestseller list in the United States.
Neologisms he coined, such as 'Big Brother' and 'doublethink', are used in everyday language, and his name has even entered dictionaries alongside the word 'Orwellian' (totalitarian, oppressive).
Orwell died 75 years ago, but he is a contemporary writer whose works continue to be read.
Because the topics he pondered and wrote about throughout his life remain relevant today, and his insights remain valuable.

Orwell advocated for democratic socialism, a form of freedom guaranteed against imperialism, fascism, and Stalinism, and wrote with that purpose in mind.
Time has passed, but Orwell's writings remain vital because totalitarian practices that suppress freedom and control thought persist.
Especially in recent years, with the emergence of far-right fascism and the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world, threatening democracy, many people have been returning to Orwell.
This book, Democracy and Freedom, is a compilation of George Orwell's core writings on democracy and freedom.
These writings, which embody the essence of Orwell's political writing, are like a sharp scalpel that exposes today's false propaganda and hypocrisy, exposing the truth to the light.


Beyond the camp
Fight against everything that suppresses freedom

The essays in this book were written during a period of greatest crisis for democracy and freedom in Western societies (1939–1946).
Orwell faced this crisis and pondered what the true way to preserve freedom was, and his writings are filled with passages that remain sharp even today.
For example, in his essay “Except the Colored Race,” Orwell criticizes the hypocrisy of so-called democratic nations that continue imperialistic exploitation of their colonies while fighting fascist states, and their behavior of perpetuating injustice by prioritizing victory in war.
He warns that if these injustices are not corrected, fascism will gain more power and even if a democratic nation wins, it will be meaningless.
“What would be the point of victory if, in overthrowing the Hitler regime, we were stabilizing a far larger and equally evil regime?” This passage seems to point out the current state of affairs in which defeating external enemies comes first and the problems faced by internal minorities are postponed.


In "Freedom in the Park," we ask what freedom truly means.
Even in his time, there were many who did not recognize freedom of expression for opinions they disliked, and he pointed out that “there is a growing stance that certain views cannot be given the opportunity to speak without difficulty,” and that “even those who claim to defend freedom of thought usually withdraw their previous positions when the persecuted are their opponents.”
Orwell believed that there was a line to be drawn when fighting against a giant evil like fascism, and that even fascists should not arbitrarily restrict rights.
“If you encourage totalitarian means, there may come a time when those means will be used against you rather than for your own good,” he points out, for example, “if you make it a habit to imprison fascists without trial, that method will not be limited to fascists.” (“Freedom of Speech and of the Press”) Orwell warned against fighting the enemies of freedom only to end up suppressing it.

Stop totalitarianism
The way to protect democracy

Orwell feared, above all, the advent of a totalitarian society.
In such a society, “common ground on which everyone can agree” disappears, and “if a leader says something has never happened, then that thing has never happened.”
Because when he says, “Two plus two equals five,” “Two plus two equals five.” (“Perspectives on a Totalitarian Future”) In a totalitarian society, “not only is it forbidden to express certain thoughts, or even to entertain them, but it is also commanded what thoughts to ‘think’” (“Literature and Totalitarianism”), so freedom, truth, and literature are all destroyed.
Orwell's judgment was that although capitalist democratic societies still have problems such as economic inequality, racial discrimination, and plutocracy, they are incomparably better than totalitarianism.
In a democratic society, there is a belief that “‘they’ cannot punish me unless I break the law.”
Orwell strongly defended democracy, saying, "Democracy, though not sufficient, is far better than fascism, and to oppose it is to saw off the branch you are perched on." (Fascism and Democracy)

But Orwell warns that if we underestimate the mass appeal of fascism and fail to address the injustices that exist within democratic societies, fascist movements will arise wherever they arise.
“If you’ve been out of work or on the verge of bankruptcy for ten years, you might feel relieved to hear that the end of civilization is near.
“It must be a similar mentality that the entire country is trying to entrust everything to the arms of some savior.” (Review: Hadley Cantril’s “Mars Attacks”) The foundations of fascism are being built all over the world, with prolonged economic stagnation, the decline of the middle class, discrimination and hatred against immigrants, and increasing nationalistic confrontation, and the far right is gaining strength on top of it.
Just like it was in Orwell's time, long ago.
As democracy, once thought to be secure, is once again being challenged and the dangers of dictatorship and totalitarianism loom, let us read Orwell's writings, which foresaw the rise of totalitarianism and suggested ways to combat it.