Orwell wrote the book between November 1943 and February 1944, when the United Kingdom was in its wartime alliance with the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany, and the British intelligentsia held Stalin in high esteem, a phenomenon Orwell hated.
ˈɔːɹwɛl ɹˈoʊt ðə bˈʊk bᵻtwˌiːn noʊvˈɛmbɚ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi θɹˈiː ænd fˈɛbɹuːˌɛɹi nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi fˈoːɹ, wˌɛn ðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd kˈɪŋdəm wʌz ɪn ɪts wˈɔːɹtaɪm ɐlˈaɪəns wɪððə sˈoʊviət jˈuːniən ɐɡˈɛnst nˈɑːtsi dʒˈɜːməni, ænd ðə bɹˈɪɾɪʃ ɪntˌɛlɪdʒˈɛntsiə hˈɛld stˈɑːlɪn ɪn hˈaɪ ɛstˈiːm, ɐ fɪnˈɑːmɪnən ˈɔːɹwɛl hˈeɪɾᵻd.