Animal Farm: Context (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Context

Context should inform, but should never dominate, your reading of the novella. Any comments on contextual factors must always be linked to the ideas in the novella. When exploring the context in which Animal Farm was written, you should consider: 

• the contexts in which the text is set

• the contexts in which the text is received

• and its literary context (genre)

Each of the below topics links directly to Orwell’s ideas in Animal Farm:

• Russian Revolution

• Equality

• Propaganda and censorship

• Education

Russian Revolution

• Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and many of the characters are representations of the prominent people connected to the revolution at the time

• The novella was written in response to Stalin’s corruption of communism and his descent into totalitarianism:

  • Communism is an ideology that advocates a classless system in which the means of production are owned by everyone

  • Old Major’s philosophy of Animalism adheres to the principles of communism where “All animals are equal”

• Following two subsequent revolutions and a civil war, Russia abolished its monarchy and adopted a socialist form of government during this period:

  • Orwell alludes to these uprisings in Animal Farm. For example, through the rebellion and the Battle of the Cowshed

• Tsar Nicolas II controlled Russia before 1917 and while the elite class were wealthy and powerful, the majority of the population were impoverished and lived in deplorable conditions:

  •  The majority of people existed on mediocre wages, poor working and living conditions and little food

• Nicolas II was eventually overthrown as the people organised a rebellion to remove him:

  • Jones is presented as an allegory for Nicolas II and his poor leadership on the farm causes the animals to live in squalor and experience malnourishment, resulting in the rebellion

• Lenin launched the rebellion with the support of Stalin and Trotsky, but he died later, resulting in a leadership struggle between Stalin and Trotsky:

  • These leaders are represented by several characters, including Napoleon as Stalin and Snowball as Trotsky

• While Trotsky desired to educate his people, Stalin desired authority over his population, and introduced the secret police:

  • This is illustrated through the different aspirations of both Snowball and Napoleon:

    • Snowball attempts to teach all of the other animals to read

    • In contrast, Napoleon chooses to educate a select few in isolation

• Russia experienced a civil war in 1918 and Western countries sent armies to battle as they feared communism would spread:

  • This is evident in the narrative when Jones and the other farmers attempt to reclaim the farm

• While Stalin began to dictate and command people, Trotsky attempted to industrialise Russia, but Stalin discredited him:

  • This is evidenced through Napoleon’s increasing dictatorial leadership and Snowball’s suggestion to build a windmill

• Stalin eventually drove Trotsky out of Russia by employing the secret police and propaganda

  • This event is depicted when Napoleon calls upon his army of dogs and evicts Snowball from the farm

• Whilst Stalin continued his authoritarian rule while also industrialising Russia, the Russian people suffered greatly and his leadership came to resemble that of Nicolas II:

  • Similarly, Orwell demonstrates how the new regime is exactly replicating the old as Napoleon rules in a similar fashion to Jones

• While Orwell condemns all forms of totalitarianism and reveals his hatred for the leaders on the farm, he also condemns the other animals who are complicit in this corruption through their inaction, fear, and ignorance

Equality

• While the novella can be seen to be about the Russian Revolution, it is also a more general indictment of inequality

• Orwell believed that the foundation of society was human decency and common sense

• Orwell demonstrates that equality is necessary for a society to survive:

  • He indicates how the lives of the animals improves when power is balanced between Napoleon and Snowball

• Animalism represents the ideals of communism, a political system in which everything is shared equally and class distinction is abolished:

  • Initially the rebellion appears to be a success, as the animals get the direct benefits of their labour

  • While the pigs wish to appear as though they desire equality, everything they do is for the benefit of themselves

• The novella was written in 1945 at a time when there was a great desire for social reform:

  • A series of social welfare policies were introduced between 1945-1951 in the UK, so that everyone would be afforded some protection

  • The 1942 Beveridge Report advocated a system of social insurance for every citizen regardless of income

• By 1945, a left-wing government had just been elected in the UK which advocated more socialist values and ideals

• Throughout the novella Orwell explores the welfare of society through the welfare of the animals on the farm:

  • By 1945, workers’ rights were beginning to improve and demands for better working conditions were being met 

• Orwell’s criticism of governments - and how they treat people unequally - can be summed up in Napoleon’s final amendment to the commandments: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”

Propaganda and censorship

• Propaganda is generally perceived as a 20th century phenomenon as governments increasingly began to explore the necessity of influencing public opinion for their own gain; however, it is neither new nor modern

• Orwell was deeply concerned by the use of censorship and propaganda:

  • Orwell depicts the animals being manipulated by common propaganda techniques, including songs, slogans and ever-changing information

• The first large-scale use of modern propaganda occurred during World War I, when governments attempted to persuade their citizens of the justness of their cause

• As a result of World War II, Britain revived the British Propaganda and Censorship Act in defence of British national security, which impacted much of the British publishing industry

• The government used propaganda and censorship to regulate, suppress, or distribute materials in order to sway the public's understanding of the war:

  • They could present a much more positive and sanitised impression of warfare, and Britain's involvement in the conflict 

  • This meant that propaganda and censorship were in operation in order to control certain information from reaching the British public about the war

• The government justified their widespread suppression of freedom of speech

• Animal Farm was published one month before World War II ended in 1945, causing a censorship crisis in the publishing industry:

  • Several publishers refused to print the novella because it was deemed too controversial at the time

• Orwell was critical of the use of propaganda and censorship to persuade the masses as he believed it could be used to manipulate and suppress information:

  • This is explored in the novella principally through the character of Squealer who is adept in the art of propaganda and spreading misinformation

  • Further, the continuous alteration of the Seven Commandments demonstrates how those in control of information can manipulate the rest of a population

Education

• Orwell contends that without education and empowerment of the lower classes, any revolution would only lead to oppression and tyranny

• Orwell demonstrates that education is a powerful weapon and that education is important to all levels of society:

  • Through a lack of education, the animals become unable to detect the slow creep of power that the pigs increasingly have over them

• In Britain, pressures for reform to education had been building in the late 1930s and early 1940s and the education system was extended and reorganised several times

• The Education Act of 1944 was enacted in response to the Second World War and increased social and educational obligations, as well as broad calls for social reform:

  • For the first time in Britain, the act ensured the provision of free education for all children

  • The Act was also intended to provide equal opportunities for children of all backgrounds

• Orwell demonstrates that when education is not given to all, it is easy for those with it to abuse it for more power:

  • The pigs use education to manipulate and suppress the animals on the farm in order to serve themselves

  • Further, after the pigs have fully educated themselves, they continue to deny the others education and change the rules to assert their power