Recently, my class had to do an essay on Animal Farm. I'm sure most of you have read it and if not, I urge you all to do so. This essay isn't my best but I'm often told I'm too tough on myself so I'll let you be the judge. Please tell me what you think of it.
How does this novel serve Orwell's purposes as a piece of political warfare? Based on the events and ultimate conclusion to the animals' original rebellion, how does Orwell successfully criticize communism?
There is often a misguided belief that George Orwell’s book Animal Farm, was a critique on the political philosophy known as communism. That it was his form of political warfare against this so called ludicrous philosophy. That however, is wrong on so many levels. George Orwell was an educated man and often times called himself a socialist. Therefore, it is impossible for Orwell to have criticized communism. Even the brief information given to the reader about Orwell at the start of Animal Farm is incorrect. “He was critical of Communism but was himself a Socialist (Orwell 1).” This inaccuracy is forgivable seeing that it is often done so for those who have never read the works of Marx or any other Communist writer. Orwell’s novel was not an attack on Communism, but was an attack on the Soviet Union’s straying of the original goal for freedom and of their return to capitalism.
In the beginning, the animals rebel against Mr. Jones and of all things related to humanity. The animal’s rebellion comes after they realized that under humans, they can never be free and will be forever oppressed. The common farm animals unite and drive Mr. Jones along with his fellow humans off Manor Farm. They then set up a system known as Animalism created by the deceased Old Major. In the beginning all is well and the system shows that it can work but still has many issues. This all changes however, when Snowball is driven out of the farm. With Snowball, his prime opponent, out of the picture, a pig Napoleon slowly turns the farm into a totalitarian one. Napoleon becomes dictator and all creatures are no longer equal. In the end, no one can tell the difference between pig and human. Humanity has won.
What now need be explained is exactly what communism is and how it differs from socialism. Communism is a classless society. There are no leaders and no form of a state whatsoever. This is so because if there were leaders, then there would still be some form of a class seeing that they have rule over others. The same applies as to having a state. In communism, people aren’t free to do as they please though. There still is law, but this law is created and enforced by the people upon themselves. The people are their own producers as well. So for example, if the people did not feel like working in a bread factory anymore, than there would no longer be any bread. No one will make the bread for them. They must do it themselves.
Now there is the subject of socialism. Many people like to claim that they are socialists and NOT communists, but they lack a true understanding of what socialism is. Simply put, socialism is the first phase of communism. It is the transition between capitalism and communism. The main difference from communism? It still advocates the use of the state. Socialists still feel that the government can be just and have the peoples’ concerns in mind. With socialism, the people don’t control what they make and produce but the state does. The state then distributes the goods as they see fit. This is only done however, until the people are able to self-support themselves through industrialization. Case in point being the Windmill. With the Windmill, they could then truly be self-sufficient. Then a Soviet Council is created and Communism begins to rise up. It has also been proclaimed by certain people that at the time of the publication of this book, communism was still viewed highly by many and that Orwell’s book had been a warning. This warning said that, while it was a good belief, it was flawed because it did not take into account human greed. That there is someone out there who will want more than the rest.
What is greed though? In the dictionary, greed is the intense and selfish desire for food, wealth, or power. What inspires this greed? Greed is made when one does not have what he wishes and so begins to take from others. In order for a true communist society to come into place. Socialism must come first. Transition from capitalism to communism is impossible for proper distribution and self-sufficiency cannot be achieved. In a socialist society, scarcity would be overcome and true abundance is achieved. This is so for humans are no longer inspired to work for the dollar as in a capitalist state, and so do little more than what is required of them, but work so that they can have more. This is feasible seeing that they will now be in control of their means of production for the capitalist class would have been gotten rid of long ago and they must work in order to become self-sufficient. When scarcity is gone, the motivation to acquire goods and wealth will no longer make sense for organizing our lives. In effect, the conditions in which greed and selfishness seem natural, even rational, reactions will no longer obtain. With this in mind, it is therefore proven that Orwell did not and could not even have been criticizing communism in Animal Farm. Logically speaking, expressing criticism of communism but still advocating socialism is impossible as socialism was the product of communism and Marx does explain how to handle human greed.
So then what did Orwell speak ill of in his book? He criticized the Soviet Union. Let it be made clear that the Soviet Union was never communist. Just looking at the name proves this. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. From the start it said it was socialist yet still the words communist fly out from the mouths of filthy capitalists. Now to understand why Orwell criticized the Soviet Union, one must be given a brief lesson in history. During World War I, the Russian people were suffering for they lived in a time of famine, soldiers were dying by the thousands each day, and still the Tsar stayed firm in his platform. Protests had been violently suppressed. Soon though, even the soldiers grew fatigued of Russia’s troubles and so they helped the Russian people overthrow the Tsar. To be sure that the Tsar could never again return to power, he along with his whole family were justifiably shot. There was a short period in which a Soviet council was formed to address the problems of the Russian people. This was the closest they ever got to communism (although this was not communism). Even so, these councils were often unproductive and achieved little. It was then decided by a radical party calling themselves the Bolsheviks, to take power. With the aid of the military, this was done rather peacefully. With Lenin as their leader, they set forth on building a new Russia. Already it can be seen that the USSR was in fact socialist practically the whole time. Lenin created the one-party state, the one ideology state, the state that sought to dominate all social life, economy, and culture. The USSR still had it’s share of problems but things looked to head towards the better.
Lenin died on January 21, 1924. After his death, there was a bitter power struggle between two men named Stalin and Trotsky. Trotsky stayed true to his beliefs that the USSR could achieve communism and worked his hardest to get this done. Stalin on the other hand, was a sly man who only gained power because of his positive relationship with Lenin. Seeing Trotsky as a menace, Stalin forced Trotsky into exile. With Trotsky gone, Stalin was no longer making this a one party state, but a one man state. Anything he said was quickly obeyed for the other politicians feared for their lives. It was a known fact that Stalin would have no issue ordering the arrest and execution of anyone who disagreed and his secret police made sure of that. Thus Stalin turned the USSR into a totalitarian regime who never had the interests of the people in mind. In doing so, he strayed from both communism and socialism. Creating a system very similar to capitalism. Reverting back to what they had tried to avoid in the first place.
This brief history of Russia can be directly applied to what happened on Animal Farm. In the beginning all forms of animals rebelled against the humans except those who had not suffered from it. The animals each represent a different class in society. Boxer being the middle class while the pigs representing the intelligentsia are prime examples. There are animals who prospered under Mr. Jones too. The relationship between Moses the Raven and Mr. Jones are clearly meant to be metaphors of the Tsar and the church in Russia. Moses the Raven, often spoke of a “heaven” where animals go after death called Sugarcandy Mountain. “In Sugarcandy Mountain it was seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and lump sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges (Orwell 27).” This is strikingly similar to what religion teaches us. After the Tsar was overthrown, the church began to be viewed with hostility and was largely suppressed. After Mr. Jones left, so did Moses.
For some time Animal Farm prospered and it could boast of being the only free animal farm. Soon though things began to change even before Comrade Snowball was exiled. The pigs began to have more power as time went on. The truth is that Animal Farm went from a brief stint with Communism, to Socialism, and then back to Capitalism just like the Russians did. Animal Farm reverted back to Socialism when it was decided that the only the pigs should be given the power to make laws. “It had come to be accepted that the pigs, who were manifestly cleverer than the other animals, should decide all questions of farm policy, though their decisions had to be ratified by a majority vote (Orwell 52).”Thus they had leaders, one of the things needed for socialism. Things only digressed when Snowball was exiled. Soon the pigs were not only the leaders but continually had growing power over their fellow animals and created a republic. “In April, Animal Farm was proclaimed a Republic, and it became necessary to elect a President (Orwell 108).” A state was made, yet again another example of the digression. Finally the pigs introduced the ideas of trade and the power of the dollar. These are the key elements to the economic policy of capitalism. Capitalism had already been reintroduced before the pigs had turned into humans. That had only been the final straw though. Thus the digression was complete. In the beginning, it was primitive communism, just like the Soviet council was. Then it went to Socialism, just like how Lenin made Russia a one party state. Finally it was made into capitalism, exactly how Stalin brought Russia into State Capitalism.
Animalism failed in Animal Farm because most of the animals were not ready for it. A direct transition from capitalism and communism cannot be achieved as previously explained. This is what the animals attempted to do. Orwell never had the idea of using Animal Farm as a warning against communism. His book was simply a critique of the Soviet Union. This critique was founded upon the continuing failures of the Soviet Union’s policies and the eventual return of state capitalism and of friendly relations with the industrialized world. He never criticized communism, just those who tried to make it a reality. It was more than he ever did.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
