Animal Farm

1
Animal Farm

• George Orwell

2
Fable Allegory

• On the surface, the fable is about animals.
• On a deeper level, the animals stand for people
  and ideas
• Animal Farm is an allegory that represents
  Orwells criticism of communism in the Soviet
  Union

3
History of Communism

• Capitalism was going strong in Europe and America
  in the mid 1800s.
• However, workers labored 14-18 hours a day under
  unsafe conditions.
• There were no child labor laws, and wages were
  barely livable for the common worker.

4
Karl Marx

• In comes Karl Marx, a German philosopher, in
  1847.
• He was asked to draw up a plan for an
  international workers group called the Communist
  League.
• Marx then wrote a plan called The Manisfesto of
  the Communist Party.

5
Marxism

• Marx envisioned a workers revolt against the
  present conditions.
• Each worker would work according to his or her
  ability and receive according to need.
• He saw communism as being total worldwide
  economic equality.

6
Marxism

• Around this time, labor laws were finally passed
  in Western Europe and America.
• The work place was safer and more tolerable of
  workers.
• The revolution that Marx foresaw never happened.

7
Socialism

• People following Marxs thinking were called
  Socialists.
• They split into two groups.
• One group wanted to bring about communism by
  slowly passing new laws.
• The other group (Communists) wanted a major
  workers revolt.

8
Communism

• The Communists were a small extremist group
  compared to the larger number of Socialists.
• The Bolshevik Party was formed led by Nikolai
  Lenin in Russia.

9
All Power to the Soviets The Communist Takeover

• Czar Nicholas II was the leader until 1917, when
  he was taken from power
• The soviets led by Vladimir Lenin began to take
  control of Russias lines of communication such
  as railroads and telegraph lines
• Lenin was aided by Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin

10
Continued

• The three leaders promised land, bread, and
  peace for everyone
• On October 24, 1917, Lenin and his men took
  control to usher in the first-ever Communist
  government

11
Communism from 1917-1922

• Upon power, the new government stripped land from
  all of the owners, forbade the holding of private
  property
• The fields were redistributed according to need
  and hired labor was outlawed.
• Communist goal equality and peace for all!

12
Opposition of Communism

• As with any new government taking power, there
  were those who were opposed to the new government
• Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin decided to root out
  and destroy any opposition to the Communist
  government
• Anti-communists were executed
• 1918-1921 a civil war raged between the
  communists and their enemies
• The Red Army (the communists) prevailed

13
Change of Power 1922-1940

• Lenin died in 1922 as a result of three
  paralyzing strokes
• Both Trotsky and Stalin vied for power
• Stalin won out and reigned for 25 years

14
Stalins Reign

• Stalin maintained control through political and
  social terror
• Stalin silenced all opposition
• High-ranking officials were arrested, forced to
  admit to crimes they did not commit, and then
  executed
• Stalin died in 1953

15
Characteristics of Totalitarianism

• Organized violence/police terror Used forced to
  crush all opposition
• Propaganda one-sided information to persuade and
  influence that supported the state only
• Censorship Only official versions of
  information was allowed all other pieces of
  information was limited, suppressed or destroyed

16
Characteristics

• Cult of the individual/single strong leader
  Leader is elevated to God-like status
• State control over the individual demand of
  total unquestioning obedience sacrifice for the
  state
• State control over society control of business,
  education, family, housing, religion, etc.

17
Characteristics

• Ideology of the state glorified aims of the
  state used to justify all government action
• Dictatorship/one party rule absolute control
  maintained by a single leader or party

18
Post-Stalin

• From 1953 to the early 1980s the Soviet Union
  remained repressive
• Internal spying was rampant, and all
  communication was tightly monitored by the
  communists
• Ideas that were not communist were considered
  dangerous
• As a result, people were threatened, imprisoned,
  or executed for expressing these ideas

19
1985

• Mikhail Gorbachev took the reigns of Soviet power
• He announced economic restructuring and social
  and political openness
• Ideas were now accepted that were not communist
• By 1991, the communist government of the Soviet
  Union admitted its demise

20
How would you define tyranny?
21
How is governmental power best distributed?
22
Is democracy the best system?
23
Does the United States have a government that
produces perfect equality among the citizenry?
24
What amount of inequality or brutality should be
tolerated within a nation?
25
What different kinds of brutality or inequality
can you think of?
26
Major Characters
27
Mr. Jones

• Owner of the farm
• Symbolizes Czar Nicholas II, the leader before
  Stalin
• The Czar was abdicated in 1917

28
Old Major

• purebred pig
• Grand fatherly philosopher of change
• Represents a metaphor of Karl Marx (founder of
  Communism)
• Encourages rebellion under the ruling of Mr. Jones

29
Moses

• Raven
• Mr. Joness especial pet- doesnt work
• Represent Orwells view of the Church
• To Orwell, the Church is used as a tool by
  dictatorships to keep the working class hopeful
  and productive
• Orwell is critical of the role of Church

30
Snowball

• Pig
• Wants leadership as much as Napoleon (leader of
  the pigs)
• Represents Trotsky (Stalins opponent for
  leadership)

31
Napoleon

• Chief villain
• Central character on the farm
• Leader of the pigs
• Represents Stalin

32
Boxer

• Horse
• Represents the unskilled labor class
• Lower class drawn to Napoleon (Stalin)
• He thinks he will benefit most from the new system

33
Squealer

• Pig
• Manipulative and persuasive
• Represents the Pravda, the Russian newspaper of
  the 1930s
• Represents propaganda
• He is used to communicate between Napoleon
  (Stalin) and the other animals (Russians)

34
Mollie

• Represents the typical middle-class skilled
  worker who suffers from this new communism
  concept
• She is very vain and only cares about her looks
• She is now considered to be lower class because
  of the design of communism (everyone is equal)

35
Benjamin

• Elderly donkey
• Symbolizes the older generation
• Critical of the communist government
• He seems smarter than the other animals

36
Muriel

• Goal
• Smart and educated
• Represents the minority of working class people
• He is not inspired by Napoleon (Stalin)

37
Pigs

• Surround and support Napoleon
• Symbolize communist party loyalists
• Live in luxury and enjoy the benefits of the
  society they control
• The animals work and the pigs make the money!

38
Dogs

• Represents the KGB (police force of the Soviets)
• Bodyguards of Stalin
• Dedicated and mindless