Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of Joseph Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the Barcelona May Days conflicts between the POUM and Stalinist forces during the Spanish Civil War.
ˈɔːɹwɛl, ɐ dˌɛməkɹˈæɾɪk sˈoʊʃəlˌɪst, wʌzɐ kɹˈɪɾɪk ʌv dʒˈoʊsəf stˈɑːlɪn ænd hˈɑːstəl tə mˈɑːskoʊdᵻɹˈɛktᵻd stˈɑːlɪnˌɪzəm, ɐn ˈæɾɪtˌuːd ðæt wʌz kɹˈɪɾɪkli ʃˈeɪpt baɪ hɪz ɛkspˈiəɹɪənsᵻz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə bˌɑːɹsɪlˈoʊnə mˈeɪ dˈeɪz kˈɑːnflɪkts bᵻtwˌiːn ðə pˈaʊm ænd stˈɑːlɪnˌɪst fˈoːɹsᵻz dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə spˈænɪʃ sˈɪvəl wˈɔːɹ.