The Tortoise and the Hare
The Wizard of Oz
Communism
I. George Orwell
A.
1903-1950
B.
Policeman, teacher, and bookseller in England before
becoming writer.
C.
Joined military during Spanish revolution – shot in the
throat by a sniper
D.
Known for his novels, Orwell really was more of a political
essayist and nonfiction writer.
II. Communism
A.
Communism is the belief in a society with no government,
no social classes, and no personal possessions. All wealth is
shared equally.
B.
A ideal communist society is a Utopia (perfect society)
Wow!
Communism
sounds
awesome!
II. Communism (cont.)
C. Throughout history, attempts at establishing communism
have resulted in abuse of power, violence, and oppression.
D. A Dystopia is a failed utopia – a world that, in its attempt to
be perfect, results in terror and sorrow.
D. First and most prominent communist party: Russia in 1917
A Timeline of Russian Communism
•1917: Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin,
seizes control of Russian government,
promises communist Utopia. People are
happy!
A Timeline of Russian Communism
•1918: Russian Civil War. Bolshevik’s take back
control of many things they gave to people. By 1922,
Soviet Union is formed (countries unified under
Communism). People are confused.
A Timeline of Russian Communism
• 1928:
Joseph Stalin takes over Communist Party,
further retracts power from people, strengthens his
own position. People are worried.
A Timeline of Russian Communism
•1937: Stalin kills everyone who supported Lenin,
who was once his friend and mentor, as well as all of
his enemies (called “Great Purge” or “Great Terror”).
Over 680,000 people are killed in two years. People
are terrified.
A Timeline of Russian Communism
•1941: Stalin deports over 3.3 million Russians to
Siberia and other arctic territories. Nearly 50% of
these people would die. His power is now absolute.
People are dead and gone.
A Timeline of Russian Communism
•1945: Stalin helps Allies defeat Nazis. This is only
after Hitler refused to side with Stalin.
A Timeline of Russian Communism
•1950-52 Stalin and “communist” Russia provide weapons and
support to North Korea, China, and countless other nations.
Nearly 30% of WORLD is in a communist nation.
•1953: Stalin is poisoned. Three more decades of communist
leaders would rule Russia through a long period of economic
depression.
A Timeline of Russian Communism
•1990: Soviet Union is dissolved by Mikhail Gorbachev.
Mr. Bailey, what does
this have to do with
Animal Farm?
III. Communism and
Animal Farm
A.
Animal Farm is a fable about the dangers of communism
B.
Orwell uses animal characters to portray politicians and
leaders of the corrupt Russian communist party
C.
Nearly every event in the novel has a correlation to an actual
moment in Russian history. Some are very specific and not
easy for us to spot.
But Mr. Bailey, I’m
neither Russian nor a
Communist! What does
this have to do with
ME?
III. Communism and
Animal Farm (cont.)
D. Even without knowledge of the novel’s anti-communist
intention, the novel still demonstrates timeless themes.
1. Power of greed
2. Abuse of power
3. Stupidity of a “herd” mentality
IV. Novel’s Legacy

Time Magazine picked it as one of the 100 best novels EVER WRITTEN.

http://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100novels/slide/animal-farm-1946-by-george-orwell/

On another list, it places at #31:

http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

And this British newspaper’s readers voted it at #7:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2138827/To-Kill-a-Mockingbirdvoted-Greatest-Novel-Of-All-Time.html
The Point: Despite being ostensibly about early 20th
century Russian Politics, the primary messages and
themes of this book are timeless and still resonate
with readers to this day.