War vs. Revolution

The Spanish Civil War was a war of combat, fought with the tactics of World War I, but with the weapons of early World War II. Orwell and his fellow soldiers lived in trenches infested with rats, lice and mosquitoes, suffered from lack of weapons, supplies, ammunition, food and water, and occasionally attempted to kill enemy soldiers. The nation of Spain was divided and at war, with all of the evil and discomfort that accompany armed conflict. Casualties mounted, grievous injuries and death were commonplace, and international political machinations were constant. Thus, the Spanish Civil War, in many respects, is simply a war like any other. However, this aspect of the war held little interest for Orwell and thousands of other volunteer soldiers. Instead, it was the Revolution, the Social Revolution, Orwell and others found to be so compelling. The concept of an anarchistic society spontaneously...