Why was he a Socialist?
(Just asking. I saw it the other day and it surprised me.)
Orwell was an idealist who believed in ‘Democratic Socialism’. His critiques largely focused on modern totalitarianism, mainly of the Stalinist variety. Remember at the time, socialism was relatively mild compared to what it is today and certainly a pale pastel compared to the Soviet model. I doubt Orwell would be a socialist were he alive today. The man died in 1950.