“Power corrupts”in

Written by George Orwell in 1945

Used to express political ideas: “power corrupts”

Linked to historical figures

The characters

Mr Jones

• Farm owner

• Tyrant who mistreats animals

• The last human owner

Czar Nicholas II

• The last Czar

The characters

Old Major

• The old pig

• Dreams freedom and equality

• Inspires the other animals

Karl Marx

• Theorist of communism

The characters

The pig Napoleon

At first:

• Leads the animal rebellion

• Creates an egalitarian society

Then:

• Enjoys some privileges

• Becomes a tyrant

Joseph Stalin

• Socialist leader

The characters

The pig Snowball

• Another leader of the rebellion

• Driven out by Napoleon

Trotsky

• Stalin’s political opponent

The characters

Boxer

• The cart-horse

• “I must work harder”

• Exploited and manipulated by pigs

The proletariat

• Exploited by corrupted governments

Development of farm society

“All the animals are equal…”

“…but some animals are more equal than others”