THE INFLUENCE OF SOVIET RUSSIA ON ORWELL'S WRITING AND ANIMAL FARM

THE INFLUENCE OF SOVIET RUSSIA ON ORWELL'S WRITING AND ANIMAL FARM

A picture of George Orwell circa 1933.

Eric Arthur Blair, or more commonly known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English writer and journalist who is famous for his radical opposition towards communism, social injustice, and totalitarianism, and his belief in democratic socialism. Orwell was influenced by two different groups of people, the Soviets, and the Nazis. Orwell was extremely opposed to Hitler and Stalin's viewpoints and wrote many artivles and essays against the social injustices of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Born in 1903, Orwell lived during a time in history when social injustice thrived, which inspired him to write one of the most famous books of all time, the dystopian novel, 1984. But before 1984, was a book that is almost equal in illustriousness, but much shorter and simpler; the allegory, Animal Farm. 


 After moving back to England in 1937, Orwell paid for himself by writing articles for a newspaper called the New English Weekly. He began writing propaganda for the British in 1941(ironic), but resigned in 1943. During this time, Orwell wrote his Anti-Stalinist allegory, Animal Farm. The reasons behind this novella were simple. Orwell despised Stalinism. Stalinism is the form of governing a socialistic state started by Joseph Stalin. 

A picture of Joseph Stalin, one of the biggest influences on George Orwell.

Stalinism consists primarily of five parts; rapid industrialization (which transformed the working class into an industrial powerhouse), a centralized state, socialism in one county (meaning that Russia could have socialism and continue to trade with other non-socialistic countries), collectivization, and the subordination of other communist parties to those of Soviet Russia. Stalinism and the rise of Soviet Russia is what Animal Farm addresses. Each character in Animal Farm represents a figure in the Russian Revolution and the rise of Soviet Russia, the main pig Napoleon representing the powerful and evil Joseph Stalin. 

An interesting picture I found of Joseph Stalin's mustached being represented as a  pig from Animal Farm

Animal Farm depicted the harsh truth of what Stalinism and any form of communism really was. With his famous slogan in Animal Farm "all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal then others" Orwell shined a light on the reality of communism, and how the working class is constantly lied to into thinking they are equal to people like Stalin or other powerful figures during Soviet Russia. 

The famous slogan that Orwell coined in Animal Farm

The ironic thing about Animal Farm is that what Orwell thought would be against propaganda(a prominent theme in the book) turned out to be somewhat propaganda itself. Though one of the driving forces of Orwell's writing was that of the injustice and deception of Soviet propaganda, Orwell's Animal Farm could actually be considered propaganda itself.; it only gives one side of the argument, which is a common stereotype of propaganda, and it endorses slogans, like the one mentioned above, to prove how deceitful Soviet propaganda was.

Soviet Russia and Stalinism was one of, if not the biggest influences on Orwell's writing. Just like the animals in Animal Farm the working class of Russia swallowed anything the Stalinists threw at them. This led to an unjust lifestyle for the working class, one of Orwell's main points in Animal Farm. Propaganda is a very prominent idea in Animal Farm and give a clear representation of Orwell's views on communism.

1984 is a much different book then Animal Farm, but the influence of propaganda is certainly emphasized as much if not more.