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SETTING
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1979-12-31
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6
11
It is impossible to make a serious study of 'Animal Farm'
without knowing something about the events surrounding the
Russian Revolution.
This is a very large and complex topic and it is impossible to
cover it in sufficient detail in these notes.
The notes will present a summary of the main features that are
relevant to 'Animal Farm' but I strongly recommend that you
consult your history teacher or go to the Library to find
further reading material or a History textbook that covers this
period.
13
The Russian Revolution had its origins in the writings of two
men called Marx and Engels who advocated the overthrow of the
rich elite ruling class and the redistribution of wealth to
make everyone equal.
The best-known book which sets out their ideas is 'The
Communist Manifesto'.
Russia proved to be a fertile breeding ground for Communist
ideas because the people of Russia were extremely discontented
with their present ruler Tsar Nicholas II.
The hardships of the First World War a particularly cold winter
and the Tsar's mismanagement all helped to further the cause of
Communism.
14
By 1917 the Russian people were ripe for revolution and in fact
they got two; one in March when the Tsar was deposed and a
provisional government was set up.
Then in November the Bolshevik party led a further rebellion
which ousted the provisional government. This party was led by
Lenin and Trotsky.
The Bolsheviks were attacked by Britain America and France but
led by Trotsky they managed to fight off the invaders.
Lenin died in 1924 and his death led to a struggle for power
between Trotsky and a new leader called Stalin.
The rivalry between the two leaders went on for several years
before Stalin gained the upper hand and banished Trotsky from
Russia in 1929.
14
Stalin later took up some of Trotsky's ideas which he had
previously opposed and used them in the formulation of his
Five-Year Plan - a scheme to quickly industrialise the backward
country.
To make sure he remained in power Stalin developed two highly
effective political weapons - an efficient propaganda machine
and a fearsome secret police force.
One feature of his rule was the 'Show Trials' in which some of
his opponents 'confessed' to crimes and were executed or sent
to harsh prison camps.
During this time Stalin began trading with the West but
remained hostile to Germany. In 1939 however he stunned the
world by signing a pact with Hitler.
12
However Hitler broke this agreement and attacked Russia in 1941
and Stalin was forced to make an alliance with Britain and
America.
This takes us up to the time of the writing of Animal Farm -
1944.
As you can see nearly every event in the novel can be traced
directly to an event in Russia during the period from
1900-1943.
An interesting project is to list the events from the novel and
match them up with the real events which Orwell intended to
satirise.
9
In fact the story has many similarities to the real historical
events some of them very detailed. For example the digging up
of Major's skull and the hens destroying their own eggs both
refer to specific events that took place during the rule of
Stalin.
Once again I advise you to find whatever supplementary material
you can to learn more about this fascinating period of Russian
history.