Introduction

To understand the allegory, Animal Farm, one must take a look at the time period and the major geo-political changes that were taking place. A new type of government was being tested in the U.S.S.R. and the world was watching with apprehension.

Guiding Question

What are the historical events that parallel the characters and activities in the novel Animal Farm?

Questions

1. What were the ideas behind Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels' The Communist Manifesto?
2. What was the economic/political/social situation like in Russia before 1917?
3. Who were the Bolsheviks and what did they want?
4. What happened in 1917? Give a brief account.
5. Who were the three men in charge after the revolution? What were their responsibilities/personalities?
6. What happened to Lenin? Trotsky? Stalin?
7. What kind of Soviet Republic did Stalin want to create? How did he go about doing it?
8. What was life like for the people during this time period 1925-1945?
9. What did the rest of the world think about the U.S.S.R.?
10. How did the U.S.S.R. come to an end? When?

Internet Resources