I have read many books. These books influenced me but Animal Farm, George Orwell's book, is the only book that influenced me deeply and I will never forget it.
It is impossible to appreciate Orwell's work fully without understanding his political views. He was an outspoken anti-communist. He was also and ardent socialist all his life. The failure to distinguish between socialism and communism causes the confusion.
Socialism refers generally to any economic system based on the ownership of goods and property collectively rather than by any individuals. Communism is a specific form of socialism, developed from principals laid down by Karl Marx and Frederic Engels; it always seeks the abolition of private property. Socialists seek to obtain the means of production by legal and peaceful means. Orwell was emphatic that improving man's physical conditions would not solve all man's problems. He believed that the most serious of these problems were not physical, but rather spiritual and psychological. But, he believed that these more serious problems could not be dealt with until man had conquered his material difficulties through socialism. Orwell was himself a sincere and courageous individualist, and he feared the loss of individual freedom that he knew socialism involved. He was honest enough, despite his awareness, to admit that he saw no other solution than socialism to the world's horrible material problems. He is often praised for his contribution to making people aware of the dangers of communism.
Totalitarianism, corruption, and power dirts were the central theses of Animal Farm. Our satire focuses on the way totalitarians govern the innocent public masses. In this satire Orwell drew his sole target, "How to get power from being abused." Orwell tried to clarify the tragedy of Man when governed by unconscious hungry leaders. He dramatized the situation of ordinary people loaded by strange ideals though they suffered very hard conditions under the leadership of charismatic dictators.
Reading between lines, we point out that Orwell focuses on the history of a revolution, which began full of promise, but how great the deception was. Though it had been written in the terms of beasts, Animal Farm was clearly a satire on the Soviet political experiment which had been corrupted by the selfish Bolchevik leaders whose lust for power made them withdraw into a posture of deviationism. Despite his severe attacks on communism, Orwell did not sympathize with Western liberalists, but focused on the role of writers who should bear the qualities of truth and honesty in their writings by clarifying to man, that his tragedy is the consequence of how he was led by opportunists whose sole purpose was to keep power on the behalf of the prevented large public masses. Animal Farm seems, in its reading, a fable story or a children-enjoying story, but is in fact a deepened critical political satire of communism which appeared in the post-World War I period.
Animal Farm in the eyes of critics is considered the clearest satire on communism, though it had been a description of revolution, which took place in a Farm, we point out that the classification of the heroes of the Farm and the political speech of the animals refer to a very specific political regime. Thus, animals were classified according to many ideological and political reasons.
"Animal hero, first class" was brought on the pigs and their followers such as Boxer, the hard-working horse, who showed a close dependence to the pig's will. "Animal hero, second class" was the status of the animals that were suspicious about the revolution and didn't show their will to defend their farm in the battle of the cowshed. Orwell said, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." He also said, "Power may corrupt even those who exercise it."
In the very beginning of the animal government, the pigs drafted a series of clauses or "commandments" of animalism which were the constitution of the Farm. The most important among these commandments was "All Animals are Equal." This commandment may truly correspond to the promise of a "classless society" in the communist theory. Napoleon, the greatest hero in our satire corresponds to Stalin, who exercised direct powers and close supervision on the whole institutions of the Farm. Thus, he was considered as the unquestionable dictator. The other animals, except the pigs, were to carry on the orders carelessly without questioning.
The cleverness of the pigs and their ability of conviction pushed them to base their politics on the speech group of wild dogs to keep peace in the Farm and these correspond to the "Secret Police" in Stalin's government.
Propaganda and revolutionary ideals had been used as a means in gaining public sympathy. Squealer, who was a spellbinding speaker, was used by Napoleon to convince the animals about the advantages they gained under Napoleon's ruling. Napoleon and his followers adopted a policy of isolationism in order to protest their revolution as the Communists did in Russia. They also aimed at mastering the group and establishing peace in the Farm.
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It is on the basis of this slogan that Orwell wrote his satire. The importance of this satire lies in the fact that is was written in terms of beasts, but it is in fact a deepened critical satire of Communism which influenced large members of European youth and intellectuals. The pigs took advantage of being brainworkers. They exercised all kinds of corruption; Napoleon became the undisputed leader. After the dismissal of Snowball, Napoleon and his followers exercised full control of the farm, the other animals had no choice but to agree. In short, Napoleon thought himself the wise leader whose policy is always right and his followers had to be obedient because they were a group of unwise animals, which had no choice but to accept the arrangements he set. Even his political speech had changed. We point out the use of the terms, "there will be no debate," order, "the pigs would meet in private. I have decided."
The situation was identical in Russia. No sooner had Stalin gained power that he had adopted a very serious policy in which power was concentrated in his hands. Like Stalin Napoleon had a very strong personality, that enabled him to control the situation. He was not so clever to be creative, but his sharp characteristics enabled him to take over someone else's ideas and plans and make them his own.
These specific conditions contributed in the success of Napoleon in governing the Farm. His use of the dogs as his own guards brought among the animals a great feeling of fear. Orwell, in describing Napoleon, combines both Stalin and Hitler. His anti-totalitarian attitude helped him to be creative in describing Napoleon, concentrating even on the description of his features to convince his reader about the evil of Totalitarianists. The revolution in Manor Farm took its basis from old Major's speech calling for better living conditions of the animals under their own leadership. Major's speech was so idealistic the animals engaged in the rebellion in mass. This speech corresponds to Marx's the Communist Manifesto which called for a classless society in which the proletariat (the working class) would exercise its dictatorship and the means of protection would be shared in common. Major says: "Now comrades, what is the nature of this nature of ours? Let us face it, our lives are miserable, laborious and short " These words had great impact on the general public.
The rebellion was not only to seize power but also called for a complete exercise of old Major's speech, especially the seven commandments which were democratic and idealized the nobility of the animals who are equal and comrades and whatever goes upon two legs represents cruelty and evil. The most intelligent members of the community were abusive to derive the revolutionary process. They exploited the simplicity and ignorance of the others in order to gain various advantages. Napoleon and the community of the pigs deviated the goal of the revolution and committed the most dangerous kinds of corruption and abuses. The animals, that were considered to have full citizenship rights, became no more than means of production. They have no choice but follow the orders of Napoleon whose many policies became a slogan. The animals wouldn't argue many of the arrangements that Napoleon had already put into practice. They've to work additional hours in order to improve the economic situation of the farm. The hens for example were obligated to lay more eggs. Despite the hard long hours of the work the animals were not well fed while the pigs stole the produce. The pigs were aware of the situation and Squealor with his ability of conviction spoke in the pubic, "We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of the farm depends on us."
Squealor usually holds public meetings in which he explains to the animals that the pigs are the most bored ones in the farm because they are bearing heavy responsibilities. Apart from the things of which Squealor spoke, was the glorification of Napoleon's extra efforts to manage the farm in a democratic way. Even the exclusion of the public from making the political decisions, is a fear from Napoleon about the safety of the farm, Orwell explains: " do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. We would be only to happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves, but sometimes you might make the wrong decision." We also notice that every arguing member is considered to be outlaw and an enemy of the revolution. This policy was adopted by Stalin during the early days of the Bolchevik regime which assassinated thousands of generals and statesmen who opposed many of Stalin's programs. We may mention that Napoleon, the central character of our satire kept around him a group of fierce-looking wild dogs. Napoleon tried to disperse among the general public a feeling of fear. The dogs were not only the bodyguards of Napoleon, but they used to exercise violence in the farm.
In short, the concept of Animalism was no more than an ideological cover behind which the wild aims of the hungry pigs were hidden. Ordinary animals were promised to dominate the neighboring farms as were the "proletariat" promised to govern the world, whereas they had no power but carry out slogans. We can say that the pigs and the Bolcheviks had borne the funeral of communism together. The constitution of the farm took its roots from old Major's speech. This constitution is represented in the Seven Commandments. This draft included idealistic principles marveling at the honor and dignity of all animals. But the pigs that took the leadership of the farm abused the situation and made the commandments a sophisticated means for their profit as did the Bolchevik regime in Russia.
The Bolchevik Revolution was not only against the capitalist economy and the way fortune was divided, but also a rebellion against the capitalist way of life. Communist saw that a minority lived in better living conditions at the expense of the large public. After having owned the means of political pressure, Communists made several abuses more dangerous than those made by Capitalists. Communists made of Stalin the charismatic leader whose every act should be trusted and behavior had to be appreciated.
As a conclusion, we can say that George Orwell in Animal Farm seems to be very pessimistic about how nations are governed by hungry leaders. He was writing about a political system which had been full of promise and which deteriorated into tyranny. One of his purposes in using the figures of the beasts is to portray the actions of men, and to imply that men in their political communities were often no better than beasts. Orwell said: "Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with the full consciousness, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole." It is "tactics" as Squealor explained in his speeches. A politician should engage in various debates and quarrels. He had to be clever in order to be the winner, so he must get rid of his principles. Such was the case of both Napoleon and Stalin who owned the political decision lonely. The whole public has no right to complain. So, our dictators did not fear being judged one day.