Historical Context Of George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'

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Victor DeSouza Professor Marie Gorbenko Approaches to Literature 9 November 2014 Animal Farm in Historical Context Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is a story about some animals who decide to rebel against Mr. Jones, the farm owner, and take matters into their on hands. Following the rebellion there was a great change in power and many communist like traits began to come about. The interesting thing about Animal Farm is how closely the events in the story correlate with actual events in history during the Russian revolution and the rise of communism in the Soviet Union. The start of the Russian Revolution began with the push of Karl Marx, considered the father of communism, and his Marxist ideas. He believed that in order to…show more content…
Just like in Russia, after the rebellion Napoleon and Snowball came to power and shortly after Snowball was ran out of the barn by the vicious dogs and declared and enemy of Animal Farm and was never seen again. Both Stalin and Napoleon both became self-appointed leaders. Throughout the story, Snowball was constantly brought up as the enemy of the Animal Farm, he was even accused of taking down the windmill. The animals would believe everything told to them by the pigs because they simply didn’t know better and the use of…show more content…
In many instances the pigs and dogs were the favorable animals in the farm and constantly were disregarding the commandments that were originally set on the barn wall. From sleeping in the farmhouse, to drinking the milk and apples, it was clear the animals were not living equally. Napoleon had decided that they would engage in trade with humans, which was a clear violation of the commandments and left the animals in a state of uneasiness. “Afterwards Squealer made a round of the farm and set the animals’ minds at rest. He assured that the resolution against engaging trade and using money had never been passed, or even suggested”(26). This was like the propaganda USSR used, which was the government’s mouthpiece. Citizens only knew what the government wanted them to know; they controlled the news, radio, entertainment, etc. Both leaders, Stalin and Napoleon, used propaganda to corrupt the minds of their followers into believing everyone else were the enemies and everything they did was for the better good for
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