Totalitarianism in George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Animal Farm was published by George Orwell in 1945. The story follows a group of farm animals who revolt against their human farmer in the hopes of establishing a society in which all animals are equal, free, and happy. However, the uprising is eventually betrayed, and the farm reverts to its previous state under the dictatorship of a pig called Napoleon.
Several events in Animal Farm have strongly depicted totalitarianism. Animal Farm portrays how terrible life and how bad the government in Stalin's leadership. It is very easy for him to control and manipulate everything such as politics, ideology, religion, and education when the society was afraid of opposing the leader.
The story started with the wise old pig named Old Major said that the animal must be free and have their own right without restrains from humans. It was a good statement to show to the animals about the utopia. The totalitarianism begins when the Old Major died, the 2 pigs named Snowball and Napoleon took apart to lead the farm. Both of the leaders want to raise the absolute power to control the farm and yet the leadership went wrong. For being a leader, Napoleon disagrees with Snowball’s plan to build a windmill and make propaganda by formed an army that consists of 9 dogs in case to overthrow Snowball. Without Snowball on the farm, Napoleon can get the highest position. This moment is just the same with Stalin when he overthrows Alexander Kerensky through the Bolshevik Party.
The totalitarianism feels stronger when Napoleon became the leader of the farm. He controlled the farm by forced the hens to give up their eggs and forced the citizens of Animal Farm to work like the slaves to build the windmill. Not only control the farm, but Napoleon also controls the look of the farm in human society. Through the sheep, Napoleon asks to say the good thing and the development of Animal Farm to Mr. Whymper. Then, to keep the trust of the society, Napoleon manipulates the information about Snowball. Napoleon said that Snowball became a spy and back to Mr. Jones. The most crucial thing in the writer's opinion is when Napoleon executed some animals and violate the 7 commandments that formed before.
Animal Farm society has become a society that embraces totalitarianism through the leader. The condition in Animal Farm is far from Old Major’s mission to make the animal-free and have their own right. Through the story, Napoleon made himself a brutal dictator just like Stalin. Napoleon used terror, propaganda, mind control, and also violence to make Animal Farm as he wants and these things completely describe Napoleon as the totalitarian leader in Animal Farm.
We can see that Animal Farm by George Orwell portrays the totalitarian era by Stalin. Even though Animal Farm itself is located in England, this novel has criticized the leadership of Stalin in the Russian Revolution era. Animal Farm completely describes and portrays how terrible and the struggle being the citizens of a totalitarian leader. The absolute power which the lead has made the citizen be the people who afraid of opposing the leader. Through Animal Farm, George Orwell portrays totalitarianism in a good way and also in a good story.