What is dictatorship?
Dictatorship is where a person is obliged to absolute power and authority and the government is ruled under the single individual "dictator". Absolute power is concentrated between the small group of people within the government. (Dictatorship, 2013) Communism is a political and economic system where all the resources are owned by the public state and divided equally among all citizens. The main difference between the two in the society is that communism values the community more than anything whilst dictatorship priorities the dictator more than the needs of the entire community.
Why did Orwell represent the dictatorship this way?
Before the revolution commenced, the dictator was the human owner of the farm, Mr. Jones. He was represented as a mean, old drunk which the animals eventually rebelled against in attempt to eliminate their lives of the brutal dictatorship that they suffered on and live a life with democracy. However, after the revolution began, the leader of the animal farm, Napoleon, an egalitarian leader, changed his behavior and his thoughts about equality. He took over the farm and made all the decisions, without other animals opinions. Napoleon started to abuse the comrades with more working hours and poor rations of food which led him to become a cruel dictator, just as Mr. Jones had been previously. (Animal Farm, Napoleon's dictatorship,
Was he successful?
Orwell successfully characterized dictatorship linking to the animal farm. He brings in the theme of dictatorship through Communism. In Animal Farm, he establishes Stalin to control the other animals over dictatorship. The so-called more intellectual pigs manipulate the other ordinary animals on the farm, using tactics such as brutal force and brain washing. Orwell reflects the Russian government’s history through Animal Farm - applying the political change from communism to dictatorship. For example in the story, Lenin, a common worker in the country controlled by Tzar, began the Russian Revolution to overthrow Tzar. Afterwards, Lenin began to input the communist based style to rule the country. However, he passed away and the new government had disputed about who the new leader would be: Stalin and Trotsky (In the novel represented by Napoleon and Snowball). This dispute became rather violent - Trotsky fled the country, because he felt that Stalin would murder him. Later on Trotsky murdered Stalin in order to want total control over the government. Afterwards, Stalin changed the government again and put his new leadership into dictatorship. Orwell depicts this history in the form of Napoleon, who drove off Snowball and manipulated Animal Farm under a strong dictatorship. Orwell successfully presents the dominance of this dictatorship theme by almost reflecting the exact history of the Russian Revolution.
Bibliography:
1. Dictatorship - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved April 10, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictatorship
2. E-portfolio: Animal Farm: Napoleon’s Dictatorship. (n.d.). E-portfolio. Retrieved April 10, 2013, from http://dieguitorosales.blogspot.hk/2008/06/animal-farm-napoleons-dictatorship.html
2. E-portfolio: Animal Farm: Napoleon’s Dictatorship. (n.d.). E-portfolio. Retrieved April 10, 2013, from http://dieguitorosales.blogspot.hk/2008/06/animal-farm-napoleons-dictatorship.html