What is a fable? The Tortoise and the Hare Actually a criticism of poor Government leadership.

Communism, Orwell, and Animal Farm

Winter 2013

What is a fable?

The Tortoise and the Hare

Actually a criticism of poor Government leadership

The Wizard of Oz

Actually an

argument for

switching to gold-

backed dollar

currency.

So What

About

Animal

Farm?

Communism

I. George Orwell

A. 1903-1950

B. Policeman, teacher, and bookseller in England before becoming writer.

C. Joined military during Spanish revolution – shot in the throat by a sniper

D. Known for his novels, Orwell really was more of a political essayist and nonfiction writer.

II. CommunismA. Communism is the belief in a society with no

government, no social classes, and no personal possessions. All wealth is shared equally.

B. A ideal communist society is a Utopia (perfect society)

Wow! Communism

sounds awesome!

II. Communism (cont.)C. Throughout history, attempts at establishing

communism have resulted in abuse of power, violence, and oppression.

D. A Dystopia is a failed utopia – a world that, in its attempt to be perfect, results in terror and sorrow.

D. First and most prominent communist party: Russia in 1917

A Timeline of Russian Communism

•1917: Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin, seizes control of Russian government, promises communist Utopia. People are happy!

A Timeline of Russian Communism

•1918: Russian Civil War. Bolshevik’s take back control of many things they gave to people. By 1922, Soviet Union is formed (countries unified under Communism). People are confused.

A Timeline of Russian Communism

• 1928: Joseph Stalin takes over Communist Party, further retracts power from people, strengthens his own position. People are worried.

A Timeline of Russian Communism

•1937: Stalin kills everyone who supported Lenin, who was once his friend and mentor, as well as all of his enemies (called “Great Purge” or “Great Terror”). Over 680,000 people are killed in two years. People are terrified.

A Timeline of Russian Communism

•1941: Stalin deports over 3.3 million Russians to Siberia and other arctic territories. Nearly 50% of these people would die. His power is now absolute. People are dead and gone.

A Timeline of Russian Communism

•1945: Stalin helps Allies defeat Nazis. This is only after Hitler refused to side with Stalin.

A Timeline of Russian Communism

•1950-52 Stalin and “communist” Russia provide weapons and support to North Korea, China, and countless other nations. Nearly 30% of WORLD is in a communist nation.

•1953: Stalin is poisoned. Three more decades of communist leaders would rule Russia through a long period of economic depression.

A Timeline of Russian Communism

•1990: Soviet Union is dissolved by Mikhail Gorbachev.

Mr. Bailey, what does this have to do with

Animal Farm?

III. Communism and Animal Farm

A. Animal Farm is a fable about the dangers of communism

B. Orwell uses animal characters to portray politicians and leaders of the corrupt Russian communist party

C. Nearly every event in the novel has a correlation to an actual moment in Russian history. Some are very specific and not easy for us to spot.

But Mr. Bailey, I’m neither Russian nor a

Communist! What does this have to do with

ME?

III. Communism and Animal Farm (cont.)

D. Even without knowledge of the novel’s anti-communist intention, the novel still demonstrates timeless themes.

1. Power of greed

2. Abuse of power

3. Stupidity of a “herd” mentality

IV. Novel’s Legacy Time Magazine picked it as one of the 100 best novels EVER

WRITTEN.

http://entertainment.time.com/2005/10/16/all-time-100-novels/slide/animal-farm-1946-by-george-orwell/

On another list, it places at #31:

http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

And this British newspaper’s readers voted it at #7:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2138827/To-Kill-a-Mockingbird-voted-Greatest-Novel-Of-All-Time.html

The Point: Despite being ostensibly about early 20th century Russian Politics, the primary messages and themes of this book are timeless and still resonate with readers to this day.