By exposing the failures of the Manor Farm revolution (an epiphany of the Bolshevik revolution); has George Orwell forfeited his right to bring a truthful and genuine critic of socialism/or communism?
George Orwell (1903-1950) was an English
writer, novelist, and political activist specialize in political satire and
literary criticism. George Orwell’s controversial novels such as Animal Farm
and 1948 made him known widely. He was against imperialism, capitalism
and despise totalitarianism notion. In 1945, he wrote a controversial novel
called “Animal Farm”, which was a story in animal’s perspective talk about the
animal revolution against the dictatorship of humans to set an ideal state
based on socialism; and how this revolution ended up unfortunately by failure
because of the greediness of the leader Napoleon and his loyal servants. This
story was clearly an indirect message and a political criticism to the bad form
of socialism/communism represented by
The Soviet-Union leader at that time, Joseph Stalin[1].
This novel has spread massive reaction in The Soviet-Union and the world and it
was banned from publishing, because it
was obviously an attack on the dictator
Joseph Stalin.
Also there’s another novel called “1948”. It was a brilliant, strong,
and serious work from George Orwell. He discussed and criticized in this novel
the major issues in his time like imperialism, fascism, and the danger of being
full-controlled by the government. The reader can mention Orwell’s thoughts
about those subjects.
Animal Farm like we’ve said above, despite it’s
characters was animals but, it is a real
criticism over the tyrannical ruling way of
Joseph Stalin during his leading of the Soviet-Union. To illustrate the
idea more and make it clear. The Manor Farm represent Russia, Mr Jones represent the Czar
of Russia, the leader of the animal farm represent Napoleon and the main
characters in the story such as Major,
Snowball and Box represent the main leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution like
Lenin and Trotsky etc...
Although his thoughts went to socialism and communism
but; his duty was to criticize it if she leaned from the right path no matter what will happen.
George Orwell said once. "attack the Right, but not to flatter the Left”.
This parallel situation shed the light on George
Orwell’s thoughts about the ideal socialism [2]and
communism [3]in
which he wanted to be. Does he criticized socialism/communism as a notion or he
attacked the figures whom represented this ideology/system?
George Orwell’s career as a writer illustrate his
ideology:
In his early years as a writer, George Orwell wrote
about many issues concerning poverty,
his own life-experience, ruling systems, political sarcasm and criticism etc…
his writing purposes was about politics
in general. After he quit from
his job as a policeman in Burma to become a full-time writer, he started
contributing in many journals, but his
first full-length work was, Down and
Out in Paris and London published in
1933. After one year, he published another work
called The Burmese Days (1934) in which he criticized the British
colonization in Burma. George Orwell’s interests about politic issues became
serious after this novel. During the civil war [4]in
Spain, when the Spanish republic was attacked by Nationalist insurgents, backed
by fascist Germany and Italy, he was one of the first to volunteer. So, he went
to Spain to participate and help the militia fighters against the dictator
fascist Francisco Franco [5],
who was a symbol of fascism and arrogant. However, he got a fire-shot and
injured. Although, he succeed to run out of Spain and he fortunately back home
to England.
It is clear that those events has shaped his
personality and thoughts. George Orwell on this stage was anti-Imperialism,
fascism, and corruption and he had no fears to declare that in public. He began
write many essays and articles in this
fields. Then, in 1941, he started new job as a producer in BBC specialize in
news commentary and political analyzing and he succeed to gain a good reputation through
it.
However, the most famous novels of George Orwell was
Animal Farm and 1948. He published this
two masterpieces during his final years before he died in 1950. These novels
was and still made a huge resonance among people all over the world because of
its realistic and the profound messages he delivered in it.
George Orwell’s criticism on the corruption of The
Soviet-Union through Animal Farm has led the reader of this story ask about why
Orwell criticize the Soviet-Union in his
novel? And what was the main message that
he wants to sent to the reader? If George Orwell was a big supporter of
socialism, why he attacked the Bolshevik Revolution represented in the animal revolution
against the owner of the manor farm Mr Jones and his human kind?
The failures of Manor Farm Revolution compared
with the Bolshevik Revolution:
When old Major decide to held a secret meeting to talk
about his revolutionary idea, which was to settle an animal state that everyone
would be equal and unit. On the beginning, this idea reflect exactly what
socialism stands for. Each animal in the Manor farm has welcomed this idea of
equal farm and actual cooperating. Finally, the coup against Mr Jones has
succeeded, and animals in the early beginnings of the revolution were happy and
comfortable about the new situation. But, when time passed, Napoleon’s
intention was appeared to take over the power for himself and controlled the
Manor farm using his loyal servants. He killed and overthrew Snowball
and ruled all animals with hand of steel and tyranny. So, the revolution
has not accomplished because Napoleon controlled and mistreated all the animals
except his servants. This scene is match completely with what happened in the
Bolshevik Revolution. Mr Jones in the story
represent Czar of Russia Nicholas II[6],
The old Major represent the founding fathers of socialism and communism, Karl
Max and Lenin, Napoleon represent Joseph Stalin and Snowball represent Trotsky.
If you know the story of the Bolshevik Revolution and
what happened during those days, you can
find that the events in the novel are similar to the real Bolshevik revolution
in Russia.
The deflection of the Manor farm revolution was
apparently because of Napoleon’s intension to take over the power and make
himself a strong ruler but on animal’s efforts and sacrifices. This is
completely against what old Major said in the beginning of the revolution. The
idea of equality and freedom that every animal has dreamed of seemed that it will not happened.
Gorge Orwell has tried to illustrate that communism
was a positive and tremendous add to the world
but; during Stalin’s leadership, he despised his dictator way of ruling
because he leaned from what socialism/communism based on, and he gave dangerous
impact on the Bolshevik Revolution [7]basics.
George Orwell's point of view in Animal Farm:
George Orwell has tried through his novel Animal Farm
to shed light on idea that – you can change people but you can not change morals.
In his letter [8]to
Dwight Macdonald after he published Animal Farm, he explained the reasons why
he wrote this novel, he said: “your query about Animal Farm. Of course I
intended it primarily as a satire on the Russian revolution. But I did mean it
to have a wider application in so much that I meant that that kind of
revolution (violent conspiratorial revolution, led by unconsciously
power-hungry people) can only lead to a change of masters …” Basically, His
point was not criticize the Russian revolution. But, his major intention was to
warn the reader of the bad consequences of putting the wrong person in power
like Stalin. He was not against the socialism or communism because he believes
that socialism system is a great way to make people living in equal and freely
from the wild imperialism and despotic fascism. So, George Orwell’s perspective
was to replace the bad person with the right person in order to remove totalitarian
regimes. That can only happen if we expand our conscious and restricted with the
real meaning of revolution, which is overthrew dictatorship and totalitarian regime
and replace it with equitable authority.
To sum up, Animal Farm is a well-crafted piece by
George Orwell. He succeed to deliver a profound message using political
criticism and excellent narrative style. This novel was issued specifically to The Soviet-Union leader Joseph Stalin and
his servants and supporters, in order to wake them up and warn the people in
Russia and the rest of the world about
the consequences of distortion the real meaning of revolution and socialism
basics.
The reader in Animal Farm can feel clearly that George
Orwell shed light on the idea of (the
animals in the farm was helping each other and work together) and all animals
lived happy under the animal law (The Seven Commandments). Undoubtedly, this is
the basis of socialism. But, when Napoleon took the power, the law that had been made by old Major and
supported by all animals, have changed
into one law: " all
animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”. This scene
seems similar to what Stalin’s did during his time. He monopolized the power
for his own-self and ruled with iron-fisted feared by everyone.
Bibliography and References:
[1] Joseph
Stalin, (1878 -1953) was the leader of
the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Holding the post
of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the
Soviet Union, he was effectively the dictator of the state. Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin
[2] Socialism, socialism is a social and economic system
characterised by social ownership and democratic control of the means of
production, as well as a political theory and movement that aims at the
establishment of such a system. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
[3] Communism, communism is a social, political, and economic
ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of the communist
society. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism
[4] Spanish Civil War,
was a civil war fought from 1936 to 1939
between the Republicans, who were loyal to the democratic, left-leaning Second
Spanish Republic, and the Nationalists, a falangist group led by General
Francisco Franco. The Nationalists won, and Franco then ruled Spain for the
next 36 years, from April 1939 until his death in November 1975. Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Civil_War
[5] Francisco Franco, Francisco
Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde (1892-1975) was the dictator of
Spain from 1936/1939 until his death in 1975. Coming from a military family
background, he became the youngest general in Spain and one of the youngest generals
in Europe in the 1920s. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Franco
[6] Nicholas II, (1868
–1918) was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and titular King
of Poland. His official short title was Tsar Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat
of All the Russias. Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_II_of_Russia
[7] Bolshevik
Revolution : Also called The Russian Revolution, is the collective term
for a pair of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which dismantled the Tsarist
autocracy and led to the eventual rise of the Soviet Union. The Russian Empire
collapsed with the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II. Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution
[8] The letter appeared in the book
George Orwell: Life in Letters, to be published by Liveright in August.
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