Similarities Between Animal Farm And The Russian Revolution

Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution
George Orwell wrote Animal Farm to inform the world of what happened during the Russian Revolution. Orwell stated that “it was of the utmost importance to me that people in western Europe should see the Soviet régime for what it really was” (Ukrainian Animal Farm Preface). He chose to write Animal Farm as an allegory, a story with a hidden meaning, so that it “could be easily understood by almost anyone” (Ukrainian Animal Farm Preface). Some of the most important themes in Animal Farm include the corruption of power, and the importance of a confident working class.
When the Soviets seized control of Russia, they twisted the rules of communism to give themselves all the power. Orwell commented that “[s]ince 1930 I
had seen little evidence that the USSR was progressing towards anything that one could truly call Socialism. On the contrary, I was struck by clear signs of its transformation into a hierarchical society” (Ukrainian Animal Farm Preface). Similar to this, in Animal Farm, the pigs ignore their slogan “All animals are equal” (Chapter 1) that Animalism was founded upon and they gave themselves all the benefits of the growing farm. The animals noticed that “[s]omehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves any richer – except, of course, for the pigs and the dogs” (Chapter 10).
During 1932 to 1933, Stalin forced the farmers to surrender their farms to the government. Anyone that was opposed to this collectivization was starved. As a result, millions of people died (Library of Congress). Orwell represents this in Animal Farm when Squealer demands that the hens must surrender their eggs for trading. To protest, the hens would “fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs, which smashed to pieces on the floor… [So Napoleon] ordered the hens’ rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death” (Chapter 7).
In 1936, Stalin executed his opponents in show trials, trials in which the fate of the defendant is predetermined to be guilty (Wikipedia).
Stalin used these show trials to strike fear into anyone that might rebel against the Soviets. This is linked to Animal Farm when four pigs, three hens, a goose, and three sheep “confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion... [Then] the dogs promptly tore their throats out... until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet" (Chapter 7). Until this point in the book, no animal had ever killed another animal. Orwell uses this point to show when the Soviets begin to use fear to control their country.
Orwell “points to the need for education and self-confidence in any working class movement if it is to remain democratic in character” (Letemendia). An example of this is when Orwell told his friend that “the key passage” (Letemendia) is when the pigs took the apples and milk for themselves. As a result of the animals not standing up for themselves, they allowed the pigs to take power. If they would have refused to allow the pigs to steal the apples and milk, then Animal Farm could have ended up more like their intended
government.
In Animal Farm, George Orwell portrayed the USSR government as corrupt and that they ignored the foundation of communism that they claim to follow. He believed that if the common people would have been more educated and stood up for their values, then the revolution could have resulted in a better government. Orwell frequently stated that “if it does not speak for itself, it is a failure” (Ukrainian Animal Farm Preface). We should not reject the message in Animal Farm like the publishers that denied to publish it. Instead, we should educate ourselves about the dangers of absolute power and ensure that this will never happens again.