Animal Farm And Russian Revolution Essay Research

Animal Farm And Russian Revolution Essay, Research Paper Animal Farm and Russian Revolution Comparison: Highlights, Events, Characters, Themes The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an anti-utopian story of animals taking over a farm in England. There are many parallels between the events and characters in Animal Farm and those of the Russian Revolution. As in the Russian Revolution the animals in Animal Farm strive to create a better life for themselves by taking over the farm. But in the end their lives are no different than before except they have different leaders. In addition, their new leaders became the same way as their old leaders. The Russian Revolution was a series of events that eventually led to the formation of the Communist government of the USSR. It began

with the overthrow of the monarchy of the last Russian Czar, Nicholas II. After the monarchy was overthrown, a Provisional government was established with the intent to change the social, economic, and political system to one based on the philosophy of communist socialism as defined by Karl Marx (1 xi-x). This government was soon divided into two fractions. One, the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir llich Lenin, favored establishment of a centralized communist society. The other faction, the Mensheviks favored establishment of a constitutional government because they believed Russia was not ready for revolution. In reality, neither party held a real majority, and many political figures became powerful and then were expelled. Leon Trotsky joined the Bolsheviks and supported plans that

would be for the good of all Russian people. Joseph Stalin built consensus with the members of several factions. In the final stages Lenin and the Bolsheviks seized power and formed the communist government of the USSR (”Russian Revolution”). Much like the Russian Revolution events, Animal Farm tends to follow a similar sequence of events. The overthrow of Nicholas II is much like taking over the Jones’ farm. The labor parties overthrew Nicholas II, and the animals rebelled and took over the farm. The Provisional Government set up in Russia involved many different factions and people, yet only a few individuals really possessed any power (3 158-73). Similarity the animals in Animal Farm gather to form a new society that would improve life for all, only to find that the pigs

have already planned how the farm would be managed. The increasing frequency of disagreements between Snowball and Napoleon can be compared to the Provisional government’s splitting into two main factions, the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. Napoleon and his dogs attack and expel Snowball, which parallels the expulsion of Leon Trotsky by Lenin’s Secret Police. The Battle of the Cowshed could be compared to the various uprisings and confrontations that took place in Russia in the early days of the Revolution. The Battle of the Windmill can be compared to World War I and the Russians’ main enemy, Germany (”Russian Revolution”). The author of Animal Farm bases much of the events on the Russian Revolution. The characters in Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution can also be

compared. Mr. Jones is very similar to the Czar Nicholas II in that he is more interested in his own personal comforts than the well being of his animals or his farm. Old Major can be said to represent either Karl Marx or Lenin as a visionary who predicts a grand future. Snowball is similar to Leon Trotsky in that he is a meticulous planner, freely sharing his ideas to make life better for all animals on the farm. Napoleon compares to Stalin in a way that they both set themselves up as dictators with total power over the government and had special organizations to expel or execute anyone whom rebelled against them. Squealer represents the propaganda departments of Stalin’s government. He is constantly maintaining the support for Napoleon by threats (you don’t want Jones back)