Orwell himself wrote in 1946, "Of course I intended it primarily as a satire on the Russian revolution ...
ˈɔːɹwɛl hɪmsˈɛlf ɹˈoʊt ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹɾi sˈɪks, "ʌv kˈoːɹs aɪ ɪntˈɛndᵻd ɪt pɹaɪmˈɛɹᵻli æz ɐ sˈæɾaɪɚɹ ɔnðə ɹˈʌʃən ɹˌɛvəlˈuːʃən ...