The Russian Revolution
and Animal Farm
The Russian Revolution of
October 1917 was
inspired by the ideas of
Karl Marx, a philosopher
who believed that the
“whole history of the
world was the history of
the struggle between
classes—between the
oppressors and the
oppressed.”
Karl Marx
These two classes were the
“proletariat” or working
class, and the
“bourgeoisie”
(boo.zhwa.zee) or the
owners.
Marx had a vision of
ending the “exploitation of
man by man” and hoped to
establish a society without
classes in which all people
would be equal.
To achieve this classless
society, Marx thought that
a revolution had to occur.
The exploited (proletariat)
had to overthrow the
exploiters (bourgeoisie).
This would make the
workers (proletariat) the new
owners and they would do
away with the old
bourgeoisie system and
replace it with a more equal
one.
Soviet propaganda poster
Lenin
Trotsky
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov
(known as Lenin) became
the leader of the
Bolsheviks who led a
revolution against a new
government who had
overthrown the Czar (a
type of king) There
followed a four year Civil
War in which the Red
Army, led by Leon
Trotsky, defeated the
White Army who were
loyal to the Czar.
When Lenin died in 1924,
Joseph Stalin and Trotsky
fought for leadership of the
Communist Party and the
Soviet Union. Stalin got the
upper hand and expelled
Trotsky from the Party and
later exiled him from Russia.
Trotsky was finally
assassinated in Mexico by
Stalin’s agents in 1940.
Stalin had always denounced
Trotsky as a traitor.
Joseph Stalin
Stalin
Murdered Trotsky
Churchill, Roosevelt,
Stalin at Yalta
Stalin became a powerful
dictator and in the end was
responsible for the deaths
of millions of people
including his own Russian
people.
In World War II, Stalin
(and Russia) became an
ally of Great Britain and
the United States against
Germany and Hitler.
Young Stalin and Lenin
After their deaths, both Lenin’s and Stalin’s bodies
were preserved and put on display. Creepy, huh?
Lenin Preserved
Animal Farm
In 1945, British author
George Orwell published a
short novel called Animal
Farm. As you will find
out, this book is an
allegory for the Russian
Revolution. An allegory
is a story in which
characters, settings and
events stand for real
people, places and
events.
George Orwell
Animal Farm has also been
called a fable (sometimes
called a beast fable) which is
a short story, usually with
animals that talk as
characters, that teaches a
moral. (Orwell himself
called it a “Fairy Story).
Finally, Animal Farm is also
a satire, which is writing
that mocks or ridicules
something in hopes of
changing it.
As you read, look for
similarities between the
events that take place on
Manor/Animal Farm and
what happened in Russia
Think about what Orwell is
satirizing and how this book
is an allegory.
“All animals are created
equal.”
Russian Premier with medals
Pigs with medals