"It is impossible to make a serious study of 'Animal Farm' without knowing something about the events surrounding the Russian Revolution."
"This is a very large and complex topic, and it is impossible to cover it in sufficient detail in these notes."
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"The notes will present a summary of the main features that are relevant to 'Animal Farm', but I strongly recommend that you consult your history teacher or go to the Library to find further reading material or a History textbook that covers this period."
5
"The Russian Revolution had its origins in the writings of two men called Marx and Engels, who advocated the overthrow of the rich, elite ruling class, and the redistribution of wealth to make everyone equal."
"The best-known book which sets out their ideas is 'The Communist Manifesto'."
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"Russia proved to be a fertile breeding ground for Communist ideas because the people of Russia were extremely discontented with their present ruler, Tsar Nicholas II."
"The hardships of the First World War, a particularly cold winter and the Tsar's mismanagement all helped to further the cause of Communism."
6
"By 1917, the Russian people were ripe for revolution and in fact, they got two; one in March when the Tsar was deposed and a provisional government was set up."
"Then in November the Bolshevik party led a further rebellion which ousted the provisional government. This party was led by Lenin and Trotsky."
"The Bolsheviks were attacked by Britain, America and France, but led by Trotsky, they managed to fight off the invaders."
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"Lenin died in 1924, and his death led to a struggle for power between Trotsky and a new leader called Stalin."
"The rivalry between the two leaders went on for several years before Stalin gained the upper hand and banished Trotsky from Russia in 1929."
5
"Stalin later took up some of Trotsky's ideas which he had previously opposed and used them in the formulation of his Five-Year Plan - a scheme to quickly industrialise the backward country."
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"To make sure he remained in power, Stalin developed two highly effective political weapons - an efficient propaganda machine and a fearsome secret police force."
"One feature of his rule was the 'Show Trials' in which some of his opponents 'confessed' to crimes and were executed or sent to harsh prison camps."
"During this time, Stalin began trading with the West, but remained hostile to Germany. In 1939, however, he stunned the world by signing a pact with Hitler."
5
"However, Hitler broke this agreement and attacked Russia in 1941, and Stalin was forced to make an alliance with Britain and America."
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"This takes us up to the time of the writing of Animal Farm - 1944."
"As you can see, nearly every event in the novel can be traced directly to an event in Russia during the period from 1900-1943."
"An interesting project is to list the events from the novel and match them up with the real events which Orwell intended to satirise."
3
"In fact the story has many similarities to the real historical events, some of them very detailed. For example, the digging up of Major's skull, and the hens destroying their own eggs, both refer to specific events that took place during the rule of Stalin."
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"*Once again, I advise you to find whatever supplementary material you can to learn more about this fascinating period of Russian history."
