Democracy
Democracy is a political system in which the whole, or eligible members of the state is allowed to participate in a election of government.[34] The word ‘democracy’ came from the two Greek words demos and kratein. Demos meant ‘the people’, and kratein meant ‘to rule’. When the two words are joined together to form democracy, it literally means to rule by the people.
Democracy is also considered the ‘best’ form of government, as is allows citizens of a country to participate fully by electing a representative for themselves. Equality is also a must in order for a country to be fully democratic, which many countries are not. All citizens, not matter what religion, sex, or social class would be able to have equal political, economic and social rights with no discrimination. Democracy is also known to be a more stable form of government system, as it is based on public will, and if representatives elected aren’t considered to be working ‘efficiently’, another representative would be elected during the next election. In spite of the fact that a democratic country demands its citizens to be the vote casters, usually, only around 60% of citizens actually do take part in the election, as many choose not to vote, not wanting to choose ‘the lesser of two evils’.[35]
During the early 20th century, Russia was a feudal dictatorship ruled by the Czars, where the people of Russia were poor and starving. After the overthrow of the Czars in February 1917, the Bolsheviks, with Lenin as their leader, became the dominant political force a few years later.[36] They eventually overthrew the Provisional Government, who stepped in after the overthrow of the Czar during the October Revolution, and began reforms, naming themselves the Soviet Union. As the Bolsheviks, Lenin made the Bolsheviks object to give the Russian people peace, the end to food shortages that the Provisional Government had worsened and land, even proclaiming ‘All power to the Soviets’.[37] Even afterward becoming the Soviet Union, the New Economic Policy was brought in by Lenin, which allowed peasants to keep sell for profit, allowed churches, mosques and bazaars, which were forced to close down to re-open and local nationalities were able to bring back their own language and customs.[38]
Why did Orwell choose to represent the event in the way he did?
At first, it was shown that the leadership ‘naturally’ fell on the pigs, which can be seen as a democracy, as the animals neither had any complaints about the pigs being the leaders of the farm, but were expecting them to be, as they were ‘the cleverest of animals.’
Orwell also represented democracy in the book by showing the having the pigs introduce ‘Animalism’ to the rest of the farm animals, were the last commandment stated that all animals are equal, which is what democracy is made up of: equality. The process of the farm animals being grateful for every mouthful of food after months of toiling to get the hay into the barn for the harvest was an example of when the New Economic Policy was introduced, because the peasants, known as the kulaks also worked, in order to become rich from their ability to sell their produce for profit.
How successful was he?
I thought that he was successful in terms of how Animalism had started off almost immediately after Jones was overthrown, and the way that echoed the overthrown Czar and the Bolsheviks, who had promised equality, peace and food to the desperate people of Russia.
The fact that the Bolsheviks themselves were a Marxist revolutionary party that studied the principles of Marxism also successfully represented as the seven principles of Animalism written as a summary of Old Major’s last speech.
What were the links between the evidence you found and the text?
After Old Major died, the three who were considered the most ‘preeminent’ amongst the pigs, Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer had ‘the work of teaching and organising the others’ which ‘fell naturally on the pigs’. (page 9) This showed how the pigs were already seen, and chosen as the leaders of the farm who would organise everything for the rest of the farm animals. After ‘touring’ the farmhouse, ‘a unanimous resolution was passed on the spot that the farmhouse should preserved as a museum. All were agreed that no animal must ever live there.” As equal individuals, the animals had voted, and decided that the farmhouse was to be kept as a museum, and that not animal should live there. As seen, there were no animals left out from the group, as all of them had agreed to the resolution.
Besides the fact that most of the seven commandments were based on the disapproval of humans, the seven commandments states that “All animals are equal”, which is yet another factor in democracy.
Democracy is also considered the ‘best’ form of government, as is allows citizens of a country to participate fully by electing a representative for themselves. Equality is also a must in order for a country to be fully democratic, which many countries are not. All citizens, not matter what religion, sex, or social class would be able to have equal political, economic and social rights with no discrimination. Democracy is also known to be a more stable form of government system, as it is based on public will, and if representatives elected aren’t considered to be working ‘efficiently’, another representative would be elected during the next election. In spite of the fact that a democratic country demands its citizens to be the vote casters, usually, only around 60% of citizens actually do take part in the election, as many choose not to vote, not wanting to choose ‘the lesser of two evils’.[35]
During the early 20th century, Russia was a feudal dictatorship ruled by the Czars, where the people of Russia were poor and starving. After the overthrow of the Czars in February 1917, the Bolsheviks, with Lenin as their leader, became the dominant political force a few years later.[36] They eventually overthrew the Provisional Government, who stepped in after the overthrow of the Czar during the October Revolution, and began reforms, naming themselves the Soviet Union. As the Bolsheviks, Lenin made the Bolsheviks object to give the Russian people peace, the end to food shortages that the Provisional Government had worsened and land, even proclaiming ‘All power to the Soviets’.[37] Even afterward becoming the Soviet Union, the New Economic Policy was brought in by Lenin, which allowed peasants to keep sell for profit, allowed churches, mosques and bazaars, which were forced to close down to re-open and local nationalities were able to bring back their own language and customs.[38]
Why did Orwell choose to represent the event in the way he did?
At first, it was shown that the leadership ‘naturally’ fell on the pigs, which can be seen as a democracy, as the animals neither had any complaints about the pigs being the leaders of the farm, but were expecting them to be, as they were ‘the cleverest of animals.’
Orwell also represented democracy in the book by showing the having the pigs introduce ‘Animalism’ to the rest of the farm animals, were the last commandment stated that all animals are equal, which is what democracy is made up of: equality. The process of the farm animals being grateful for every mouthful of food after months of toiling to get the hay into the barn for the harvest was an example of when the New Economic Policy was introduced, because the peasants, known as the kulaks also worked, in order to become rich from their ability to sell their produce for profit.
How successful was he?
I thought that he was successful in terms of how Animalism had started off almost immediately after Jones was overthrown, and the way that echoed the overthrown Czar and the Bolsheviks, who had promised equality, peace and food to the desperate people of Russia.
The fact that the Bolsheviks themselves were a Marxist revolutionary party that studied the principles of Marxism also successfully represented as the seven principles of Animalism written as a summary of Old Major’s last speech.
What were the links between the evidence you found and the text?
After Old Major died, the three who were considered the most ‘preeminent’ amongst the pigs, Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer had ‘the work of teaching and organising the others’ which ‘fell naturally on the pigs’. (page 9) This showed how the pigs were already seen, and chosen as the leaders of the farm who would organise everything for the rest of the farm animals. After ‘touring’ the farmhouse, ‘a unanimous resolution was passed on the spot that the farmhouse should preserved as a museum. All were agreed that no animal must ever live there.” As equal individuals, the animals had voted, and decided that the farmhouse was to be kept as a museum, and that not animal should live there. As seen, there were no animals left out from the group, as all of them had agreed to the resolution.
Besides the fact that most of the seven commandments were based on the disapproval of humans, the seven commandments states that “All animals are equal”, which is yet another factor in democracy.