Joseph Stalin was a Russian Dictator who came into power after the Russian Revolution. He was cruel and had harsh ways of dealing with people who did not agree with him. Stalin strongly believed that Russia should be united- with him as leader- if it was to be strong, (History in an Hour, 2010). He also became constantly paranoid of interfering plots and became power mad. He demanded continuous praise and applause (Wordpress, 2009). This completely parallels with the Animal Farm dictator- Napoleon.
Both approached leadership with cruel, brutal and corrupt methods. Post Animal- Farm Revolution, it began with positive talk to equality and the talk of Utopia. This is proven evident in both scenarios. Stalin rose from the peasant class after the Russian Revolution- the mirror of Napoleon- and both took dictatorship over the country/farm (Spartacus Education, 2002). Not dissimilar to each other, both had a form of security protection to keep themselves safe from potential negative uprisings. Stalin had what was called the NKVD (secret police). The NKVD broke down prisoners by intense interrogation resulting in the innocent admitting they’re guilty of treason due to pure exhaustion and fear (Stalin’s Terror, 2005). Napoleon used similar actions to ensure his security. He trained puppies into vicious killing machines. When he felt remotely threatened by any animal, he would demand for that animal to come forward and make false confessions before the group. After the confession was admitted, “the dogs promptly tore their throats out” (Chapter 7, Page 25).
The close match of Stalin and Napoleon successfully highlighted the similarities of both dictatorships. Orwell subtly naming the pig dictator ‘Napoleon’, suggested a direct comparison to the French Revolution leader, Napoleon Bonaparte. He was a hugely successful leader, succeeding in ‘saving’ the French Revolution and winning numerous wars. This plays with our link of the pig to Stalin and highlighting the irony and contradiction. Orwell subconsciously plants the thought in our head of labeling the pig as a good leader for the farm , when in reality, he was an evil and selfish dictator. Orwell’s allegory of Stalin and Napoleon drew obvious attention to the leader comparison and representation. The link was a successful reflection of the leader Stalin due to the accurate details Orwell included. All details match up for both, from gradual reduction of public speaking (used a ‘minion’ to speak for them), to the propaganda lies planted into the minds of the public.
Both approached leadership with cruel, brutal and corrupt methods. Post Animal- Farm Revolution, it began with positive talk to equality and the talk of Utopia. This is proven evident in both scenarios. Stalin rose from the peasant class after the Russian Revolution- the mirror of Napoleon- and both took dictatorship over the country/farm (Spartacus Education, 2002). Not dissimilar to each other, both had a form of security protection to keep themselves safe from potential negative uprisings. Stalin had what was called the NKVD (secret police). The NKVD broke down prisoners by intense interrogation resulting in the innocent admitting they’re guilty of treason due to pure exhaustion and fear (Stalin’s Terror, 2005). Napoleon used similar actions to ensure his security. He trained puppies into vicious killing machines. When he felt remotely threatened by any animal, he would demand for that animal to come forward and make false confessions before the group. After the confession was admitted, “the dogs promptly tore their throats out” (Chapter 7, Page 25).
The close match of Stalin and Napoleon successfully highlighted the similarities of both dictatorships. Orwell subtly naming the pig dictator ‘Napoleon’, suggested a direct comparison to the French Revolution leader, Napoleon Bonaparte. He was a hugely successful leader, succeeding in ‘saving’ the French Revolution and winning numerous wars. This plays with our link of the pig to Stalin and highlighting the irony and contradiction. Orwell subconsciously plants the thought in our head of labeling the pig as a good leader for the farm , when in reality, he was an evil and selfish dictator. Orwell’s allegory of Stalin and Napoleon drew obvious attention to the leader comparison and representation. The link was a successful reflection of the leader Stalin due to the accurate details Orwell included. All details match up for both, from gradual reduction of public speaking (used a ‘minion’ to speak for them), to the propaganda lies planted into the minds of the public.