Animal Farm And The Russian Revolution

Nicholas II, the last Czar of Russia, was accused of corrupting the government.

He was seen as being out of touch with the needs and aspirations of the Russian people.

Near the end of his reign, inflation and food shortages occurred in Russia and thus lead to angrier citizens and eventually to a revolution.

A revolution began and Nicholas II, who was unable to control the citizens, relinquished the thrown.

This left the Provisional Government in power.

The Bolsheviks were a major political group during the revolution.

The Bolsheviks then sought to overthrow the Provisionary Government.

The Bolsheviks believed in a communist government over the Provisionary government. Included in the Bolshevik party was Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Vyacheslav Molotov and Leon Trotsky.

With Vladimir Lenin leading the way, the Bolsheviks successfully lead a revolution and overthrew the government.

In 1924 Lenin died after suffering through a stroke.

He warned the other Bolsheviks of Stalin’s high position as Communist Party’s general secretary and how it may be giving him too much power.

After Lenin’s death Stalin and Trotsky quarreled over Lenin’s leading position.

However, Stalin’s position included being a central policymaking and governing body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

So what he says, goes!

With Stalin holding one of the highest positions in Russia, paranoia soon set in.

Stalin began to think that others would take his position away from him, one way or another.

In order to prevent mutiny he would falsely accuse people of crimes, expel them from the Bolshevik party, banishment, labor camps or execution.

Trotsky strongly disagreed with Stalin’s leadership methods and further accused Stalin of directly opposing Lenin.

Of course, Stalin took this as a threat and soon took actions against Trotsky.

To destroy Trotsky’s popular reputation among the people, Stalin and his team succeeded in damaging Trotsky’s military reputation so much that he was forced to resign his high position within the Bolsheviks in 1925.

Trotsky then moved to Mexico City in efforts to be safe from Stalin’s charges. However, in 1940 after several attempts on his life Trotsky was assassinated with an ice axe to the head.

Under Stalin’s rule Russia suffered through a famine in the early 1930s, killing 5 to 10 million people.

Another famine in 1946 – 1948 killed 1 – 1.5 million people.

Nearly 700,000 people were killed during the purges.

3.3 million people were deported between 1941 – 1949.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is based on this Russian Revolution.

How do you think Orwell will compare a farm to Russia?

What do you think is Orwell’s view on Stalin and his rule over Russia?

Why do you think he chose to use animals to represent the people of the Russian revolution?