Final answer:
The three main pigs in 'Animal Farm' are Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer, representing Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, and Soviet propaganda respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three main pigs in George Orwell's Animal Farm are Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer. These characters allegorically represent figures and concepts from the Soviet Union during the early to mid-20th century. Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin, the Soviet dictator; Snowball represents Leon Trotsky, a rival of Stalin and a leader of the Bolshevik Revolution who was later exiled; Squealer represents the Soviet propaganda machine, which disseminated misinformation and controlled public perception according to Stalin's narrative. Each of these characters embodies traits and actions that parallel those of their real-life counterparts, which is a technique Orwell used to criticize and analyze the Soviet regime and its leaders.