Watership Down Government Analysis

Watership Down: Governmental Systems

In the novel Watership Down, there are many types of communities, and with those communities comes a different type of government. All three of these governments vary from each other, in how they are set up and how they are ran. Each of the governments in the novel are run by different rabbits, Hazel, Cowslip, and Woundwort. Adams describes each one of these governments with hints about their leaders and their actions. Throughout this novel, the three types of governments that Adams referred to are: Socialist, Dictatorship, and Democracy. First, the Socialist government can be related back to Cowslip’s warren. In this government everyone is treated equal. No one is greater or less than anyone else. In the warren, there is always plenty of food and it is divided among everyone equally. There are no specific rules
that must be followed or upheld, so everyone is free to do what they want. Adams hints this as a Socialist government through Cowslip’s behavior. Even though Cowslip is the leader, he treats everyone with the same power and respect that he treats himself. Cowslip’s government can be compared with some of the Socialist governments of Western Europe. This type of government was shown in the novel to be unsuccessful because they had no true leader to step up and speak for its citizens. Its power was weak, which is why the rabbits would be killed by the snares. Next, the Dictatorship government is similar to the Efrafan warren. In this government there is one person who rules and controls everything with an iron fist. Adams has hinted this through General Woundwort, the ruler of the Efrafan warren. He has organized every aspect of the Efrafan government. All the rabbits must stay in their Marks and must always travel with them at the time they are allowed. Woundwort does not take into consideration the thoughts of others; he just gives out commands and expects that they are followed. In modern day society, the Efrafan warren can be compared to Cuba. Both General Woundwort and Fidel Castro dominate and control their communities. This society was also shown to be unsuccessful because with only one person in charge they had to quickly make every decision without second thoughts. So without others there to help and make suggestions, chances of surviving became very slim. Finally, the Democracy government is what Hazel runs.
Adams shows this through how Hazel acts as a leader. Hazel does not dictate his warren, nor does he have little power. He is a leader, one who those look up to. Hazel has assigned jobs in the warren to other rabbits according to how well they can fulfill that role. He takes into consideration the ideas and thoughts of others; he listened to Fiver when Fiver had a vision. Once Fiver told him, he acted out on it by instructing the group to what he thought would be most beneficial. This form of government is basically the United States’ government. We are a Democracy, with a chosen leader, and we all work together in a society to help each other grow and prosper. Our leader, the President, must have the characteristics of Hazel: a born leader, knowledge, and open thoughts. This is what makes Hazel’s group prosper and remain stable. This government was the only one that was proven to be successful. Hazel’s group survived because of smart decisions not only from the leader but from others as well. That is why Hazel’s warren grew and
survived. In conclusion, Adams made comparisons of the rabbits and their warrens to types of government in our world, Socialism, Dictatorship, and Democracy. He showed how each warren ran their society and how effective each one was. What Adams was trying to say is that a Democracy is the only government that can flow efficiently and survive through the toughest of times, and in this case it did. The Socialist government failed because it had no power and the Dictatorship government failed because it had too much power. The Democracy flourished because it the right amount of power, and put it in the hands of the right person.