Introduction to George Orwell’s Animal Farm L.O. To understand what communism is and reasons for and against. know that Animal farm is a kind of modern day “allegory” reflecting corruption of ideals.

What is this picture about?

Communism From the French Commun, meaning “belonging to all” It began in Russia at the start of the 20th century. Before that, the Tzars had all the wealth and most people lived in desperate poverty. If anyone protested, they would be put to death. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLEE2UL_N7Q

a political theory believing that everyone is equal and therefore all resources should be divided up equally. Disapproves of private ownership Communism However, communism is all about the ‘collective’ people not individuals. Individuals have no power by themselves. the form of government described by Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels in their writings

Communism In the 1800s life was difficult for working people because they worked long hours with little money or rewards. The only people benefiting would be factory owners, landlords and people who owned businesses. In the 1840s a person called Karl Marx and his friend Friedrich Engels were outraged that the “working class” people had so little and so wrote the Communist Manifesto.

“Workers of the world unite” Followers of Karl Marx Believed that everyone should be equal. The rich should not just be making money off the hard work of the poor. They hoped to see: “Workers of the world unite”

The down side in practice. Yes, they had everything equally, the same...but the down side: No democratic elections. Formally there are elections but voters have no choice – they have to vote for one candidate. The results of elections are often falsified. Communist Party – the only and dominating party, all other political parties are forbidden. No competition = no desire to produce better things The government controls everything, not you Having the same = you lose your individuality, become part of the crowd!

The reality When communism was put into place, it was difficult to stop people from being greedy and going back to their old ways. In addition, Russian leaders of the communist party such as Joseph Stalin actually used the situation to control people through terror. The rulers were corrupted and were concerned only by power and wealth. Much like Capitalism.

What have you learnt? What is your opinion? Communism is a political point of view Communism is a form of government Karl Marx believed that workers in the 1850s were treated fairly. Followers of communism believe everyone should be equal In Russia communism was not a success. Why? Communism prevents people being naturally competitive. (What about China today?)

Homelearning Create a mindmap about Communism in Russia. Include the following points: Key dates Key leaders/ thinkers War Effects of communism

Gap fill Communism is a p_________ view point and a form of g___________. The positives are that it is founded on the idea of f____________and e________ for all. Communism came about because of the t________ way in which w________ were treated. Karl M_____ wanted the workers to u______ and fight the business owners. However, the down sides of Communism is that it prevented people from making i________ choices. In addition, when Communism was established in Russia, the leaders still did not treat the people f_____. Instead they ruled through terror, cruelty and c_______.

Animal Farm: “A fairy story” What expectations do you have of a fairy story? A fictional story About unusual things Has a message/moral

Key words – find the definition Fable Ruthless Elite Ensnared Betrayal Idealism Now look at the cover and read the blurb Based on what you have learnt about communism and what you have read on the back cover, what is this novel going to be about?

A fable Usually, children’s novels use animal characters and, taken at face value, the novel Animal Farm is simply a story about animals. However, George Orwell has used animal characters in his novel Animal Farm to make a point about human characters. In particular, he uses the idea of the farm and animals to tell another story, that of Russia, its politics, its people and leaders. ANIMALS ANIMALISTIC ANIMAL CHARACTERS ANIMAL CHARACTERISTICS HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS HUMAN CHARACTERS CHARACTERISTIC HUMANS

Reading Chapters 1 and 2 Complete for H/W What are your first impressions of Mr Jones, Major, Boxer, Mollie and Napoleon? In what way is Major idealistic? Do Napoleon and the others share the same view?

Review Turn to person sitting next to you and tell them one good thing about communism Now tell them one bad thing about it