Animal Farm by George Orwell The History

Historical Context Book is an allegory for the Russian Revolution (1917-1940) Criticism of how the Russians neglected/corrupted Communism and Stalin

The Tsar Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia (dynasty lasted 3 centuries) Autocracy: ruler had absolute power The Tsar was disliked – seen as taking all the money while the commoners starved (think Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution) High rates of poverty and inflation Food shortages Alexandra was half German (relied too much on Rasputin)

Mass Execution Family was under house arrest Tsar, Tsarina, 4 children and 4 servants Lined up in the basement and shot; those who didn’t die of bullet wounds were stabbed with bayonets “I heard the firing. I returned to the house immediately (only two or three minutes having elapsed) and upon entering the room where the execution had taken place, I saw that all the members of the Tsar's family were lying on the floor with many wounds in their bodies. The blood was running in streams. The doctor, the maid and two waiters had also been shot. When I entered the heir was still alive and moaned a little. Yurovsky went up and fired two or three more times at him. Then the heir was still.“ (one of the guards)

Mass Execution Fire, acid, and grenades used to destroy identities Bodies thrown down nearby mine shaft Dug up a few days later and reburied in two graves in the woods

Frozen to Death: Siberian Gulags Videos The Romanovs Stalin’s Death Camps Finding the Romanovs Frozen to Death: Siberian Gulags Stalin’s Purges

Karl Marx wrote Communist Manifesto (ideas about government and life) – Communism is a natural evolution of society towards equality Believed the Capitalists were taking advantage of the working classes Class struggle: Bourgeoisie: capitalists, owned most of the wealth Proletariat: working class Believed the way to equality was through revolution What’s the problem with this?

The Bolsheviks Radical political group 1917: took over government Eventually became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Vladimir Lenin family had problems with government in past a rebel became a lawyer disliked the class bias Formed a union Was arrested and sent into exile in Siberia for 3 years Came back to Russia during WW1 1918: assassination attempt 1922: fell ill,; paralyzed from assassin’s bullet Was worried what Stalin and Trotsky would do to government Several strokes led to death

Joseph Stalin Was Georgian, not Russian Created the name ‘stalin’ (steel) Joined political underground Several arrests, imprisonments, and exiles Not the best father (didn’t accept a trade with Germans for his captured son – WW2) Became important in party committees Began a pseudo-cult in memory of Lenin Ignored some of Lenin’s policies

Joseph Stalin Began to have ‘five year plans’ towards industrialization Turned private farms into state farms Shot or exiled dissident farmers or sent them to labor camps Terrible famine in Ukraine (~10 million peasants died) Everyone had to LOVE Stalin – he was given credit for every good thing that happened Totalitarian Dictatorship

The Purges – The Great Terror 1934 started killing off members of political parties and basically anyone he didn’t like Disloyalty = execution; prison camps Communist Leadership: 93/139 Military: 81/103 (generals) Communist Party:~1/3million ~20 million sent to Gulag (labor camps in Siberia)…~half died Some put estimate at 15-30 million dead Secret Police (precursor to KGB)

Leon Trotsky Political activist Opponent to Stalin Very charismatic; great public speaker; very intellectual Spent time in prison and in exile Military leader of Revolution Vied for power after Lenin’s death Exiled from Russia and later assassinated

Timeline 1894: Former Tsar dies and Nicholas II takes over 1905: Bloody Sunday Unarmed workers petitioning for more rights march on palace; Nicholas isn’t there; guards shoot into the crowd to disperse the people; kill ~100 WW1: Russia suffers horrible losses and people blame Nicholas 1916: Rasputin murdered by nobles

Timeline 1917: riots; Nicholas abdicates and Lenin takes over puts industry under government control Brings infrastructure (electricity) – especially important after devastation of WW2 1918: Nicholas and his family imprisoned and executed 1924: Lenin dies, Stalin takes over 1928: Trotsky exiled 1940: Trotsky assassinated 1953: Stalin dies suddenly of heart attack (??)

Timeline 1976: Tsar’s family found by a team of Russian scientists 1994: DNA confirmed Nicholas, Alexandra, 3 kids and 4 servants 1998: reburied in cathedral in St. Petersburg 2000: Russian Orthodox Church designated the family as saints (lowest possible rank) 2007: DNA confirmed last two family members identities 2008: Russian Supreme Court ruled the executions were wrong and ‘pardoned’ the family

George Orwell British author, b. 1903 – d. 1950 Real name Eric Arthur Blair Political; fought in Spanish Civil War Satirist 1945: Animal Farm 1949: 1984 (bleak dystopian novel) Both very successful Died of Tuberculosis

Orwell’s Beliefs Actually believed that there was merit to a communal society. He was a socialist. Saw corruption though as obstacle to equality

Type of Literature Allegory: a tale told through symbols Story must be simple enough and the symbols must be clear enough that audience understands the ‘real’ story Satire: a work that uses humor to ridicule or criticize views or ideas Not only covers up the real people/subject but also gives more power through symbols

Reception Wasn’t published right away because British publishers thought it would offend the Soviets Some criticism that the story didn’t follow history closely enough One of the most often read books for high school

Sources http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/english_literature/proseanimalfarm/animalfarm_context/revision/1/ http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/context.html http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/a/animal-farm/critical-essays/the-russian-revolution http://www.biography.com/people/nicholas-ii-21032713#world-war-i http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/nicholas_ii.shtml http://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicholas-II-tsar-of-Russia http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34338802 http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/murders-ekaterinburg http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/nicholas.htm http://www.britannica.com/biography/Vladimir-Ilich-Lenin http://www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Stalin http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/russia/stalinpurgesandpraisesrev1.shtml

Sources http://www.britannica.com/biography/Leon- Trotsky http://www.britannica.com/place/Gulag