What is the relationship between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution?

Answer 1

Animal Farm

Russian Revolution

Mr. Jones

• irresponsible to his animals (lets them starve)
• sometimes cruel - beats them with whip
• sometimes kind - mixes milk in animal mash

Czar Nicholas II

• a poor leader at best, compared to western kings
• cruel - sometimes brutal with opponents
• Sometimes kind - hired students as spies to make $

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Old Major

• taught Animal-ism
• workers do the work, rich keep the $, animals revolt
• dies before revolution

Karl Marx

• invented Communism
• "workers of the world unite", take over govt
• dies before Russian Revolution

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Animal-ism

• no owners, no rich, but no poor
• workers get a better life, all animals equal
• everyone owns the farm

Communism

• same
• all people equal
• govt owns everything, people own govt

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Snowball

• young, smart, good speaker, idealistic
• really wants to make life better for all
• one of leaders of revolution
• chased away into exile by Napoleon's dogs

Leon Trotsky

• other leader of "October Revolution"
• pure communist, followed Marx
• wanted to improve life for all in Russia
• chased away by Lenin's KGB (Lenin's secret police)

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Napoleon

• not a good speaker, not as clever like Snowball
• cruel, brutal, selfish, devious, corrupt
• his ambition is for power, killed opponents
• used dogs, moses, and Squealer to control animals

Joseph Stalin

• not a good speaker, not educated like Trotsky
• same as Napoleon, didn't follow Marx's ideas
• cared for power, killed all that opposed him
• used KGB, allowed church, and propagandized

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Squealer

• big mouth, talks a lot
• convinces animals to believe and follow Napoleon
• Changes and manipulates the commandments

Propaganda department of Lenin's government

• worked for Stalin to support his image
• used any lie to convince the people to follow Stalin
• benefited from the fact that education was controlled

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The Dogs

• a private army that used fear to force animals to work
• killed or intimidated any opponent of Napoleon
• another part of Napoleon's strategy to control animals

KGB - Secret Police

• not really police, but forced support for Stalin
• used force, often killed entire families for disobedience
• totally loyal, part of Lenin's power, even over army

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Moses the Raven

• tells animals about Sugar Candy mountain - Heaven
• animals can go there if they work hard
• Snowball and Major were against him. They though Heaven was a lie to make animals work
• Napoleon let him stay because he taught animals to work and not complain

Religion

• Marx said "Opiate of the people" a lie
• used to make people not complain and do their work
• Religion was tolerant because people would work
• Stalin knew religion would stop violent revolutions

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Mollie

• was vain - loved her beauty and self
• didn't think about the animal farm
• went with anyone who gave her what she wanted

Bourgeoisie

• some people didn't care about revolution
• only though about themselves
• went to other countries that offered more for them

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Boxer

• strong, hard working horse, believes in Animal Farm
• "Napoleon is always right", "I must work harder"
• gives his all, is betrayed by Napoleon, who sells him

Dedicated, but tricked communist supporters

• people believed Stalin because he was "Communist"
• many stayed loyal after it was obvious Stalin a tyrant
• betrayed by Stalin who ignored and killed them

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Benjamin

• old, wise donkey who is suspicious of revolution
• thinks "nothing ever changes", is right
• his suspicions are true, about Boxer and sign changes

Skeptical people in Russia and outside Russia

• weren't sure revolution would change anything
• realized that a crazy leader can call himself communist
• knew that communism wouldn't work with power hungry leaders

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Overall details about revolution

• it was supposed to make life better for all
• life was worse at the end
• The leaders became the same as, or worse than, the other farmers (humans) they rebelled against

Overall details of Russian Revolution

• supposed to fix problems from Czar
• life was even worse long after revolution
• Stalin made Czar look like a nice guy

Answer 2

George Orwell had written Animal Farm at the time of the Russian Revolution. He had based Animal Farm on the historical events that had occurred by having the characters be metaphors for leaders and social classes of the time. For information on the specific metaphors, go to this link: What

I enjoyed Animal Farm a lot.

Answer 3

character names i can't remember, however the pigs attacking the farmer is the Russian revolution. in Russia this resulted in communism, and in animal farm they were all apparently equal. in communism there became a dictator, and in animal farm the pigs became the dictators. so there were people above everyone else, which is not the idea of communism. all the people/other animals get treated badly. propoganda is used to make the leaders seem good, in animal farm there is a pig named squealer (not sure if that's spelled right) who lies sayign that the laws have never changed when they had. eg alcohol. in the end communism doesn't work in russia and in animal farm the animal are as bad as they were, which is all symbolic of the Russian revolution.

Answer 4

Well; the fact that you know there's a connection says enough...

If you want, you can link almost any animal to someone from the Russian revolution and the Stalin-regime.

For example, Napoleon really is Stalin and Snowball Trotsky. Snowball is driven out by Napoleon, as Stalin did to Trotsky.

Old Major, the prize boar, is in fact Carl Marx, whose ideas Stalin used for his revolution. Old Major (as Marx) dies long before he could sees his ideas come true.

The owner of the other farm (Frederick) can be viewed as Hitler.

Boxer, the working horse, can be viewed as the working class of Russia, where the working class and Boxer just do what they are told to do.

The term 'Annimalism' can be viewed as 'Communism'.

Answer 5

Animal Farm represents the Russian Revolution because many of the characters share similar characteristics with people from the time period. For example, Snowball is a lot like Tratski because he was a very good speaker, etc. It is the same with how Napoleon represents Stallin by opposing Snowball and using police for and others to control the animals.

Answer 6

Animal Farm is meant to be a microcosm of how society behaves when an anarchy is presented. In the book, the animals overthrow a totalitarian government (the Czar of Russia) in order to create a communistic society in which everyone contributes, and everyone shares the rewards of their hard work. But in communistic societies there is usually an individual or a small group who seizes power, in this case, Napoleon the Pig, which may be a symbol for Stalin.

Answer 7

The characters in Animal Farm represent real people, or groups of people, in the Russian Revolution.

Napoleon: Stalin

Snowball: Trotsky

etc

Answer 8

It shows the people over throwing the king (owner of the farm) and let a more ruthless leader Lenin (old Major) inspire them for a revolution.

Answer 9

In a Russian revolution their is blood but in a animal farm there isn't.