Animal Farm
“It struck me that if only such animals became
aware of their strength we should have no power
over them, and that men exploit animals in much
the same way as the rich exploit the worker.”
- George Orwell on how he came to write Animal
Farm
Are we reading a children’s
book?
Animal Farm is one of those unique books
with multiple meanings. Animal Farm is a
story about farm animals who get fed up
with their brutal farmer and overthrow the
farm.
BUT…the meaning goes deeper…
Animal Farm is a satire about world politics
and a commentary on the relevance of
independent thought, truth and justice.
Animal Farm is also an allegory of the
Russian Revolution.
What is an allegory?
An allegory is a narrative that can be read
on more than one level.
Can you think of any other stories you may
have read that are allegories?
What is satire?
In a satire, the writer attacks a serious issue by
presenting it in a ridiculous light or otherwise
poking fun at the issue.
Can you think of any examples of satire you are
familiar with?
Check out this example…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9s7afoYI-M
A Little Information About the
Russian Revolution
Early in the 1900’’s Russia was ruled by a
Czar, Nicholas II.
Nicholas does not do well in the
polls.
Nicholas was not a popular leader (think
George W. Bush). Many Russians were
struggling to simply survive under the
oppressive government that Nicholas was
running.
Typically, when people are upset about
their government, they revolt!
By 1917 a revolution broke out in
Russia. The people spoke!
This photo shows
demonstrators in the streets
of Petrograd.
This photo was taken at demonstration
after the government opened fire on
demonstrators with machine guns.
Lenin leads the
revolt.
Vladmir Lenin became
the leader of the
“new Russia.”
Unfortunately, Lenin
died in 1924.
Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky
both want to take over where Lenin
left off…
Stalin and Trotsky have very
different ideas about how the
country should be led.
Stalin wanted to exercise power through
regulations and rules. He felt that this was
the best way to pull his country forward.
Trotsky was a masterful military strategist
and inspirational leader. He wanted to limit
government control.
Stalin Wins the Battle!
Through force and fear, Stalin becomes leader of
Russia, but does not forgive Trotsky and deports
him into permanent exile.
Stalin even went so far as to remove any trace of
Trotsky from Soviet history. He took down
photos of Trotsky and even censored
newspapers and used his own newspaper,
Pravda, to control information.
But Stalin proves to be a bully of a
leader…
Stalin wanted to move Russia (now known as the
Soviet Union) into an industrial age. His goal
was to keep up with other countries so he
created a “Five Year Plan.” In five years, Stalin
wanted the Soviet Union modernized, like the
rest of the world.
The problem was, Stalin did not do this in a
democratic manner. He seized land of citizens…
The problem was, Stalin did not do
this in a democratic manner.
He seized land, took control of newspapers,
schools, and all freedoms the citizens of
the Soviet Union may have had.
He told the citizens that this total control was
for the good of the country….
Does this sound familiar?
Stalin became consumed with his
own power.
Stalin wanted to “Westernize” the Soviet
Union. But he was torn because at the
time another vicious leader rose to power.
Adolf Hitler.
Hitler convinced Stalin to pledge himself to
Hitler by signing a “non-aggression” pact.
Both men agreed never to invade each
other’s country.
As we all know…Hitler was
deceitful!
True to form, Hilter broke his promise to Stalin and
in 1941 invaded the Soviet Union.
Now Stalin had to go running to Western Allies in
need of help.
Ultimately, the Soviet armies forced Hitler out of
the Soviet Union, but the battles were not
without loss. The Soviet Union was devastated.
To understand life in the Soviet
Union during and after the Russian
Revolution, we must understand
the many types of government.
Socialist
Democracy
Communist
Totalitarianism
Socialism
The ideas behind socialism came from Karl
Marx.
Karl Marx believed that a country was better
off if capital, money, markets and labor
were not viewed as a commodity. If
capital, money, markets and labor are not
viewed as a commodity then wealth would
be distributed much more equally.
Democracy
A government in which the supreme power is vested in the
people and exercised by them directly or indirectly
through a system of representation usually involving
periodically held free elections.
Democracy differs from socialism because people
generally have the freedom to vote as individuals and
not as a collective society.
Over the years, “democratic socialism” has developed.
Democratic socialists like the ideas that come with
socialism (equal distribution of wealth) but want the
goals of socialism to come about in a democratic
manner.
Communism
The ideas behind communism were also created
by Karl Marx.
Marx believed that the working class would
eventually overthrow the ruling class and that
the working class would then set up a socialist
form of government in which the government,
not individuals, owned the means of production.
Marx believed that this form of government would
result in complete freedom with social and
economic equality for all people.
Marx wrote this philosophy in a short but profound
pamphlet called the Communist Manifesto.
Totalitarianism
• Dictatorship
• a form of government in which the ruler is
an absolute dictator
• After Stalin took over as leader of Russia,
he became a totalitarian leader.
The ideas behind communism have
changed over the years…
Communism and socialism used to go hand
in hand. Both ideas centered around equal
distribution of wealth.
Over time, however, communists have
veered away from Marx’s original beliefs.
Communist governments tend to be led
with an iron fist and not in a democratic
manner, although they are still trying to
accomplish the same goal.
Now for the test…
• You will be divided into groups of four.
Each group will be given money and
assigned one of the types of government
mentioned above.
• You must come up with a way to
demonstrate to the class, how the money
would be used within the type of
government your group was assigned.
So why aren’t communist or
socialist governments
successful?
HINT: Think back to Anthem.