What was most important?

I think this might be a thematic question. One of the things that Orwell particularly detests in Britain is the class structure and strictly-adhered to class divisions that make traversing between classes in an upwardly-mobile manner almost impossible. One of the things that draws him to the militia in Spain is the equality that seems to exist across the social spectrum. In Barcelona particularly, when he first arrives, he notes with pleasure that there is no evidence of the previous divisions between classes, and that any references in the language that hint of one class or person being higher than another has been removed - words like "sir" and "madame" are no longer used. He also notes that the working classes are treated the same as the upper classes. This is Orwell's idea of a Utopian society.

I believe that with Catalonia (and Spain) George Orwell actually meant Russia not Spain and himself not as an English man but as a German and it happened while he was a German citizen which means before he settled in the UK. I don't know about world war histories that much but again I know Russia and Russians therefore I have no doubt that George Orwell actually describes Russians rather than Catalonians in Homage to Catalonia.