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How did George Orwell’s time in Burma influence his views on imperialism?

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George Orwell, c. 1940 — George Orwell Known best for his powerful anti-utopian novels *Animal Farm* (1945) and *Nineteen Eighty-four* (1949), English author George Orwell came to be regarded as a prophetic voice in 20th-century literature.

George Orwell’s service as an assistant district superintendent in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma (now Myanmar) was a formative experience that fundamentally shaped his opposition to imperialism.12

Initially appearing as a model colonial servant, Orwell became increasingly ashamed of his role upon realizing the extent to which the Burmese people resented British rule. Witnessing the "dirty work of Empire at close quarters" exposed him to the dehumanizing effects that imperial systems exert on both the colonizer and the colonized. He felt profound guilt over the racial and caste barriers that prevented him from connecting with the local population, a sentiment that eventually drove him to resign from the police force in 1928.123

These experiences solidified his "natural hatred of authority" and served as a catalyst for his political evolution. His time in Burma provided the foundation for his later literary works, including the novel Burmese Days and the essays "A Hanging" and "Shooting an Elephant," which critically examined the oppressive nature of colonial power.21