Final answer:
George Orwell's Animal Farm is an allegorical novel that parallels the events of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Stalinist regime in the Soviet Union. The characters and plot mirror the overthrow of Tsarist Russia, the rise of the Bolsheviks, and the corruption of ideals by totalitarian leaders like Stalin.
Step-by-step explanation:
Connection Between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution
Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell, is an allegorical story that reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. Orwell, a critic of Stalin, illustrates how revolution's noble goals can be betrayed by those who gain power. The characters in Animal Farm represent key figures in the Russian Revolution. For instance, the pig Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin, while Snowball, another pig, represents Leon Trotsky. The storyline mirrors the transition from the oppressive rule of Tsar Nicholas II to the rise of the Bolsheviks under Lenin and then to Stalin's brutal reign.
The farm's revolution by the animals against their owner parallels the Russian Revolution where the working class (proletariat) and peasants overthrew the ruling class. The initial ideals of Animalism in the novel are a direct allegory to Lenin's Bolshevik principles, which were later corrupted by Napoleon, as was the case with Stalin's corruption of communism. The gradual change on the farm, where pigs take on the oppressive roles of humans, symbolizes the gradual establishment of a totalitarian regime in the Soviet Union.
Orwell's Animal Farm is didactic in its intent to warn readers about how totalitarian regimes can arise and how socialist ideals can be manipulated by leaders like Stalin. It's a depiction of the loss of democratic accountability and the betrayal by the ruling elite using propaganda, much like Stalin's use of state-controlled media to manipulate public perception.