SOCIALISM
Socialism is a political and economic theory that advocates community involvement and collective/governmental ownership. According to Marxist theories, socialism is “a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of communism.” (Oxford Dictionaries: 2010) It contrasts with capitalism, where selective groups of people profit solely for their own benefit. Similarly, socialism also contrasts with communism, as socialism is widely referred to an economic system, whereas communism serves as a political and economic system. The means of production are publicly owned in both systems, but the ways that money and resources are distributed are different. In socialism, each person is allotted resources according to his/her input, whereas in communism, each person is allotted resources according to his or her needs. (WiseGeek: n.d.) However, Socialism is generally regarded as a less extreme form of communism, although both are located on the left side of the political spectrum.
While Old Major dreams of achieving a unified, democratic society, with the inadvertent presence of the insidious propaganda as well as leadership landing in the wrong hands, the ideological doctrine of the farm soon spins out of control and inevitably results in an oppressive, autocratic, totalitarian society. Although the revolution was founded on the basis of noble, exalted ideas, Animal Farm attacks the “mockery” of socialist ideals, instead of socialism or its socialist ideals themselves. (Rodden: 1999) As a lifelong socialist, Orwell recognized that the totalitarian regime in Stalinist Russia was a perverse disfiguration of those ideals.
Socialism is only “properly” achieved on the farm during the idyllic days of the revolution when the animals’ “efforts were rewarded.” (Orwell, 2008, pg. 17) In theory, in a socialist society, citizens have equal access to the products and resources and are compensated based on the amount of work performed. This form of economic control claims to have the benefit of allocating resources, services and compensation equitably among the population. However, as the future of the farm lies in the hands of Napoleon who is hounded over the idea of his own authority, assures the animals that “Milk and apples (this has been proven by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig” and for the sake of “brajnwork.” (Orwell, 2008, pg. 23)
The metamorphosis of the mantra 'All animals are equal' into 'All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others' is one prominent example. Through the distortion of the original commandment, the reader gets a terrifying insight into the way the revolution was actually planned out, and see them unravel calamity by calamity. This is further exemplified through the transformation of the quote “Four legs good, two legs bad”. Though this quote at first acts as Snowball’s innocuous condensation of the seven principles of Animalism, by the end of the novel, it is altered to suit the new propagandistic needs of the pigs and becomes completely antithetical: “Four legs bad, two legs better.”
In political science, “rewriting history” is known as “Historical revisionism”; the legitimate scholastic re-examination of existing knowledge about a historical event, or the illegitimate distortion of the historical record such that certain events appear in a more or less favorable light. (Conger: 2009) As expected, this “technique” was commonly seen during the rule of Joseph Stalin, when the history of the Communist Party was revised to delete references to leaders purged from the party. One of the most notorious examples in history was “The Commissar Vanishes”, as shown below:
While Old Major dreams of achieving a unified, democratic society, with the inadvertent presence of the insidious propaganda as well as leadership landing in the wrong hands, the ideological doctrine of the farm soon spins out of control and inevitably results in an oppressive, autocratic, totalitarian society. Although the revolution was founded on the basis of noble, exalted ideas, Animal Farm attacks the “mockery” of socialist ideals, instead of socialism or its socialist ideals themselves. (Rodden: 1999) As a lifelong socialist, Orwell recognized that the totalitarian regime in Stalinist Russia was a perverse disfiguration of those ideals.
Socialism is only “properly” achieved on the farm during the idyllic days of the revolution when the animals’ “efforts were rewarded.” (Orwell, 2008, pg. 17) In theory, in a socialist society, citizens have equal access to the products and resources and are compensated based on the amount of work performed. This form of economic control claims to have the benefit of allocating resources, services and compensation equitably among the population. However, as the future of the farm lies in the hands of Napoleon who is hounded over the idea of his own authority, assures the animals that “Milk and apples (this has been proven by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig” and for the sake of “brajnwork.” (Orwell, 2008, pg. 23)
The metamorphosis of the mantra 'All animals are equal' into 'All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others' is one prominent example. Through the distortion of the original commandment, the reader gets a terrifying insight into the way the revolution was actually planned out, and see them unravel calamity by calamity. This is further exemplified through the transformation of the quote “Four legs good, two legs bad”. Though this quote at first acts as Snowball’s innocuous condensation of the seven principles of Animalism, by the end of the novel, it is altered to suit the new propagandistic needs of the pigs and becomes completely antithetical: “Four legs bad, two legs better.”
In political science, “rewriting history” is known as “Historical revisionism”; the legitimate scholastic re-examination of existing knowledge about a historical event, or the illegitimate distortion of the historical record such that certain events appear in a more or less favorable light. (Conger: 2009) As expected, this “technique” was commonly seen during the rule of Joseph Stalin, when the history of the Communist Party was revised to delete references to leaders purged from the party. One of the most notorious examples in history was “The Commissar Vanishes”, as shown below:
Not only are the aforementioned mantras modified to show irreconcilable ideas, but the constant changes in the Seven Commandments and Squealer’s complicated justifications for pigs’ unlawful actions reveal the hypocrisy of the ruling class as it becomes increasingly apparent that they are being altered to benefit those in power. In chapter four, “some of the animals were disturbed when they heard that the pigs not only took their meals in the kitchen and used the drawing-room as a recreation room, but also slept in beds...Clover, who thought she remembered a definite ruling against beds,” found that the commandment was changed to “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets.” (Orwell, 2008, pg. 45) Though "Clover had not remembered that the Fourth Commandment mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so." As "Squealer, who happened to be passing at this moment" stayed to "put the whole matter in its proper perspective." However, it is just another propagandizing moment in the book as he claims that "the rule was against sheets, which are a human invention" and manipulates the animals' fear of the possibility of Jones' return.
Although Orwell's main goal in this is to satirize Stalinist Russia and the distortion of socialist ideas (as evidence by his condemnations towards the actions of Frederick and Pilkington), his character development serves as a grim reminder in which the ways power-hungry individuals can exercise complete and total control over a group of credulous and unenlightened individuals.
Although Orwell's main goal in this is to satirize Stalinist Russia and the distortion of socialist ideas (as evidence by his condemnations towards the actions of Frederick and Pilkington), his character development serves as a grim reminder in which the ways power-hungry individuals can exercise complete and total control over a group of credulous and unenlightened individuals.