Animal Farm
And
The Russian Revolution
Web Quest
Introduction and Task:
The novel Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution. This means that the characters and events
symbolize actual people and events in history. The task of this web quest is to research who and what
happened so that you can understand the “story underneath the story,” so to speak.
Your task is simple: visit the websites throughout the web quest, and fill in the answers on your handout.
Part I: George Orwell
Use the following site to find information to answer questions about Animal Farm's author,
George Orwell. Although we could spend an entire Web Quest on George Orwell, his life, and his
writing, we are focusing on Russian history today. A brief overview is all we need.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jorwell.htm
If you want to know more, you can also visit:
http://www.george-orwell.org/l_biography.html
Part II: Nicholas II
Use the following pages to find information about Tsar Nicholas II.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtsar.htm
http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/AlexPalaceNRbio.html
Part III: Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, and Communism
Visit the following sites to answer questions about these men.
History/Biography of Marx: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/karl_marx.htm?&0=
A succinct explanation of Communism: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-communism.htm
Trotsky: http://www.answers.com/topic/leon-trotsky
More Trotsky: http://www.marxist.net/trotsky/life/life.htm
Part IV: Joseph Stalin
Stalin….What a guy……
A pretty succinct page on Stalin:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stalin_joseph.shtml
Stalin and Propaganda (Scroll down to #4): http://www.johndclare.net/Russ12.htm
Secret Police: http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/soviet.exhibit/secret.html
Directions: Answer the questions in your own words. Do not cut and paste the information. Be
thorough and thoughtful.
Aim: How does literature (and Animal Farm specifically) help us to better understand the
world around us?
1. What is an allegory?
2. What is George Orwell’s real name? Why do you think he wrote under a pseudonym (fake
name)?
3. What is the name of the first book he published?
4. In what year was Animal Farm published?
5. What is democracy? How did Czar Nicholas II feel about democracy?
6. What were working conditions in Russia like with Nicholas II as a leader?
7. What was Bloody Sunday? Why might this be significant?
8. Was Nicholas II an effective or poor leader? Explain.
9. Karl Marx said what about religion? Why might this be significant?
10. Marx helped to write The Communist Manifesto, which stated that all men were born free but
that society had got to such a state that the majority were ______________________.
What does this mean?
11. Marx had ten points. Name two:
12. Write out any famous quote from Marx. Explain the quote in your own words.
13. According to the site (and common sense), Communism would probably function well if
humans did not have the unfortunate tendency toward ___________________________.
14. What happened in 1917 in Russia (specifically, in October)? Who are the Bolsheviks? Who
was Vladimir Lenin and role did he play in this time in history?
15. Leon Trotsky wanted to improve life in Russia; he used his pen to oppose what leader?
Why or why not was Trotsky effective?
16. Who ordered Trotsky’s assassination? Why?
17. What title was Stalin given in 1922? What does this say about him?
18. By the late 1920’s, what was Stalin’s role? What does this suggest about the nature of
power?
19. What happened in the 1930’s during the Great Terror or Great Purge?
20. What did children learn about Stalin from their mothers?
21. What are some of the forms of propaganda (also, what is propaganda?) that Stalin
employed?
22. Stalin used a secret police force to force support of him and to kill the disobedient. We, in
recent years, think of the KGB, but what four letter acronym were they called in his time?
23. How does literature (and Anthem and probably Animal Farm specifically) help us to better
understand the world around us?
You are publishing a response to each of these questions by midnight tonight to
turnitin.com (due date is subject to change). Make sure everything is in your own words.