“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Molyneux 1989). Many times we hear stories of man becoming mad over the pursuit of power and the fear of losing it. History shows us that in an unstable country, revolution often leads to the appropriation of power by vile men. Men who will stop at nothing to satisfy their lust for power. This can be seen more specifically in the rise of the Soviet Union during the 20th century and the corresponding fictional story known as Animal Farm. It appears evident that George Orwell’s text is in fact an allegorical narrative of the events leading up to and after the Russian Revolution of 1917. By looking at the historical elements of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, we can see a criticism of a left wing government by a left wing socialist, which most readers don’t see; this is important when investigating the text as pro-socialistic components still exist. Through knowledge of prior events, readers can observe key historical and cultural influences in Animal Farm. 

To begin, we need to investigate the early life of Eric Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell. Orwell was born in India in 1903 to British colonists (Molyneux 1989). It was here he observed imperialistic rule, unfair distribution of resources and a snobby English class system (Molyneux 1989). Early on he disliked government excess and exploitation of working class people by the bourgeois. This prompted him to become a left wing writer and join socialist causes such as the revolutionary POUM during the Spanish Civil War (Molyneux 1989). Orwell cemented his beliefs as a left wing political activist and established himself as a democratic socialist, which definitely influenced him in his writings (Molyneux 1989). In Why I Write, Orwell states that "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism as I understand it" (Molyneux 1989). This is a direct testament to how the culture and events he experienced during his early years strongly influenced him. Orwell’s upbringing in India, the entrenched English class system, and his early devotion to socialism heavily influenced him as he crafted Animal Farm.                

Surprisingly Animal Farm is a text whose purpose is to criticize the rise of a left wing government, and this is obvious to many readers. But what readers don’t necessarily pick up on is that he still makes sure to include elements promoting left wing socialism in the text. Pro-socialist beliefs can be detected in the text when observing the original leader known as Old Major. Old Major is a virtuous leader who dreams of a better life for his fellow Comrades. His dream is to form a self-subsistent utopian society ran by the working animals instead of man. The basis of Old Major’s utopian dream includes enlightened socialistic principles. The righteous principles Orwell writes about include the equal treatment of all beings and the shared wealth of the society as a whole. Orwell also crafts Old Major as a well-liked charismatic leader. After Old Majors death, there is an eventual shift in power to a villainous leader which consequently signifies the death of a noble dream. This is important because these details display pro leftist aspects in the text and righteous intentions behind forming a left wing society.       

George Orwell’s Animal Farm would not exist without historical events during the Russian Revolution, however cultural events during World War II also had a major impact in the text. Orwell actually wrote Animal Farm some twenty six years after the Russian Revolution in 1943 during World War II (Molyneux 1989). It was crafted as an attack on the rise of the soviet state. But to better understand what sparked his creation of the text one has to observe the time frame leading up to and just before the text was written and ask the question; why would a left wing writer publish an attack on a left wing government? During this time (around 1940s) allied countries and people around the world actually liked the Soviet Union, for many felt sorrow for their staggering losses and appreciated their involvement in protecting Great Britain from an attack. However, Orwell could not overlook the tyrannical rule of Stalin and became enraged as people became more and more pro USSR. This fueled him as he made Animal Farm. In Why I Write, Orwell confesses that “Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole" (Molyneux 1989). This quote is evidence of how events and culture during the 1940s sparked Orwell’s creation of Animal Farm.  

Last but not least, the events in Russian Revolution of 1917 and the resulting rise of the Soviet Union is the single largest historical event that found in the text. The text as a matter of fact is an allegory of these historical events portrayed on an English farm. Without it, the entire story would be completely different or nonexistent. The book is a fictional representation of the events, people and controversies before, during, and after the rise of the Soviet Union. For example, the main characters in Animal Farm are constructed from their historical counterparts in the Russian Revolution. Old Major, the boar with a vision of a utopian society who incites the rebellion of the animals signifies the Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin. The counterpart to Napoleon from Animal Farm is Joseph Stalin. Napoleon and Stalin seized power through manipulative and vile methods. Napoleon utilizes his pack of vicious dogs to oust those who go against his will such as snowball. Stalin did essentially the same thing but with a more manipulative and tactical approach to oust Leon Trotsky and utilized his “Red Army” to rule with an iron fist (Molyneux 1989). Both Napoleon and Stalin forced labor and industrialization to build their power at any cost. Lastly, both initiated purges to systematically try, convict, and execute those that were enemies of the state (Molyneux 1989). The similarities between the Russian Revolution and Animal Farm are consistent, meaning the historical events and people during the rise of the Soviet Union served as the basis for the plot of Animal Farm.    

George Orwell is a clever novelist who can masterfully craft political allegories surrounding his political beliefs and experiences. Despite his attack on the rise of a leftist Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the reader can still pick up on his left winged socialistic tendencies. In the preface of his Ukrainian edition of animal farm he openly admits that “for the past ten years I have been convinced that the destruction of the Soviet myth was essential if we wanted a revival of the Socialist movement.” (Dag 2015). This not only clarifies his left wing political beliefs, but also informs the reader of how vital historical and cultural events around this time were to his simple masterpiece, Animal Farm.     
