ANIMAL FARMBackground

Author Background George Orwell (nom

de plume) Eric High Blair 1903-1950 British Democratic Socialist

Wanted WORKERS, NOT political leaders, to take control of government

Leaders become corrupt

Major Themes How do crazy governments get and keep

power? What keeps people from seeing how bad

their governments are? Communist Russia, North Korea and Nazi

Germany How do we create a perfect society?

A Perfect Society: Different Theories

Theory #1: Capitalism(The system in the U.S.) Individuals or companies control factories,

land, resources Gov’t doesn’t have a say People make $ based on how hard they work

There are poor and rich people Problems:

The rich often keep control The poor have fewer advantages

A Perfect Society: Different Theories Continued

Theory #2: Communism/Socialism Karl Marx created this idea Gov’t owns factories, land,

resources People own the gov’t The gov’t gives out wealth equally

There are no poor or rich people Problems

It has never worked Leaders become corrupt People suffer on a mass scale

(starvation, killings, brainwashings)

Russians and Communism: The Revolution

Czar/Tsar Nicholas II Family ruled for 300

yrs Incompetent/brutal

ruler Starvation WWI losses

Sometimes kind Overthrown

(abdicated)

Russian Revolution Continued Leon Trotsky

One Leader of the Revolution

Well-educated Followed Marx’s ideas

Great speaker Organized the Red

Army Wanted to improve

industry/agriculture Created “Five Year

Plans” to create growth

Russian Revolution Continued

Joseph Stalin Other leader of theRevolution Not educated

Didn’t follow Marx’s ideas

Not a good speaker Wanted power Chased out Trotsky

Used the KGB, the secret police, to do so

Stalin Creates Totalitarian Rule Totalitarian: Gov’t with “total”

control over people Ex. # 1: Five year plans

Stole Trotsky’s ideaMade farmers give up landFarmers burned crops/killed animals in protest

Stalin killed themPlans failed anyway

Example 2: Moscow Purge Trials Stalin’s opposers were purged16 prominent Communists confessed to crimes they didn’t commit and were executed

Showed fear that Stalin created

Stalin was responsible for the deaths of 20 million (Hitler=11 million)

What kept people loyal? Religion

Communists are supposed to be athiest Religion allowed because gave workers hope Kept them under control

KGB “Secret Police” that terrorized people

Propaganda Stalin controlled the media and information

Illiteracy Russia’s population was uneducated

Working class They helped overthrow the Tsar but were betrayed

What about Animal Farm? All these characters, events and factors

are in the novel. They are in symbolic form