The Parallels of Power: Napoleon and Stalin in “Snowball Animal Farm”
In his Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx described his vision of the future, where the proletariat, or working class, rises up to topple the bourgeoisie and create a society without social classes. The Russian revolution of 1917, led by Vladimir Lenin, attempted to do just that. Lenin died in 1924, several years after the revolution, and Joseph Stalin rose to replace him, forcing rival Leon Trotsky to resign. In George Orwell`s Animal Farm, Napoleon the pig represents Stalin, and he uses many of the same tactics as Stalin to obtain power. In order to secure their positions, both Stalin and Napoleon spread lies about their enemies, withhold information with the goal of spreading ignorance among their subjects, and force possible dissenters to confess to crimes that they have not committed.
Napoleon and Stalin each envision a society where they have authoritarian control, and they manipulate others to ensure their success. After Lenin died, "Stalin forced Trotsky to resign as a war minister and in 1927 expelled him from the [Communist] party." Later, Stalin "had him assassinated" (Compton`s 2). Napoleon uses a similar method of eliminating his chief rival. During a debate about the windmill, "there [is] a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars [come bounding into the barn. They [dash] strait for Snowball" (Animal Farm 57). After their respective rivals are gone, Stalin and Napoleon spread lies about them.
Their goal in doing this is to divert the attention of the people and animals away from their miserable economic conditions. Another action that both Napoleon and Stalin cognate is to establish five-year plans in order to catch up with competitors. These plans set extremely high goals for production which are rarely met. Additionally, the plans involve the rationing of goods. A final part of the economic plan for both Napoleon and Stalin is a large construction project; for Napoleon it is a windmill, and for Stalin it is a dam. The animals have a hard time building the windmill. "All year the animals [work] like slaves. But they [are] happy in their work this work [is] strictly voluntary, but any animal who [absents] himself from it [will] have his rations reduced by half" (Animal Farm 63). Deceit such as this is used commonly used by both dictators to ensure the happiness of the masses.
