Animal Farm and the
Russian Revolution
Mrs. Cabral
English 10
George Orwell
1903-1950
Eric Blair/British
Wealthy (Eton)
Soviets - cruel and
hypocritical
Critic – Capitalism
and Communism
Anti-totalitarianism
http://threesixty360.wordpress.com
Animal Farm
1946
Allegory with
symbols
“A Fairy Story” –
subtitle
Represents Soviet
Communism
http://blog.woodward.edu
Karl Marx
German economist
Inventor of Communism
Wanted Socialist utopia
Das Kapital
Communist Manifesto
“Workers of the world,
unite!”
http://crawfordsworld.com
Russian Revolution
of 1917
Tsar Nicholas II
Monarch – abdicated
Poor leader
Sometimes brutal with
opponents
Sometimes kind
Hired students as spies
for money
Entire family murdered
in same room by
Bolsheviks
http://rumormillnews.com
Alexander Kerensky
Socialist
Becomes Premier
Orders Lenin’s
arrest
Lenin flees
Ousted by Lenin
http://www.nndb.com
Vladimir Lenin
Becomes Chief
Commissar
Founder of
Bolshevists
Dies in 1924
Josef Stalin and
Leon Trotsky in line
for power
http://www.bestcyrano.org
Bolshevists
Founded by Vladimir Lenin
Professional revolutionaries
Seized Russian power in Revolution
Eventually became Communist Party of
Soviet Union
Bolshevik Party meeting.
Lenin is at far right.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshevik
Leon Trotsky
Popular/charismatic
Impassioned speeches
Possible leader
Wants to improve life for
all Russians
Used as “common
enemy” of the people
Followed Marx
http://marxists.org
Joseph Stalin
Power behind scenes
Manipulative/uneducated
Alliance against Trotsky
Seizes control
Trotsky flees to Mexico
Stalin has him
assassinated
Doesn’t follow Marx
http://cille85.wordpress.com
KGB
Secret police (not
really police)
Forced support for
Stalin
Violent – often
murdered families
Power even over
army
http://humanrightshouse.org/noop/page.php?p=Artic
les/10547.html&print=1
Stalin’s “Show trials”
1934 – Serge Kirov
assassinated
Purge of Communist party
“Enemies of the people”
20 million Soviet citizens
executed
Tyrannical/violent dictator
http://www.trumanlibrary.org
Works Cited
“Bolshevik.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 12 May 2009. 13
May 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/
index.php?title=Bolshevik&oldid=289371848>.
“Books: Animal Farm.” Charles’ George Orwell Links. 2009.
Charles’ George Orwell Links. 13 May 2009 < http://
www.netcharles.com/orwell/books/animalfarm.htm>.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Harcourt, Brace,
Jovanovich, 1946.
Spark Notes: Animal Farm. New York: Spark Publishing, 2007.