Who was Trotsky?
In the novel Animal Farm, Author George Orwell bases the character Snowball off Leon Trotsky, a Russian Marxist revolutionary.
Leon Trotsky (Born Lev Davidovich Bronstein) was born in 1879 in Yanovka, Ukraine to prosperous Jewish farmers (Biography.com, n.d.). In his final year in school, Trotsky was exposed to Marxism and helped found the South Russian Workers' Union in 1897. He was arrested in 1898 and spent the next two years in prison awaiting trial (Wikipedia, 2013). In 1900, he was exiled to Siberia, along with his wife and two daughters.
After serving only two years of his sentence, Trotsky escaped exile and abandoned his wife and two daughters. He changed his name to Leon Trotsky and made his way to London where he joined the Socialist Democratic Party and met Vladimir Lenin. Seeing disputes between the party's leadership regarding its' form and strategy, Trotsky attempted to tread the middle ground when confronted with arguments from respected revolutionaries such as Lenin and Julius Martov. While many revolutionaries sided with Lenin, including Joseph Stalin, Trotsky's neutrality was seen as disloyalty.
Trotsky returned to Russia in 1905 after hearing that demonstrators were killed by the Imperial Guards. He returned to Russia to support the uprisings and by the end of 1905, he had emerged as a leader of the movement. However, the movement was crushed and he was sent to Siberia again. He managed to escape in 1907, traveled to Europe and spent 10 years in exile in cities such as New York, Vienna and Zurich. When he returned to Russia in 1917, he immediately set about addressing some of the key problems in post-revolutionary Russia. In response to criticisms directed towards the provisional government, Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky had Trotsky arrested and thrown into jail.
In 1918, the provisional government was overthrown and Trotsky's first role in the new government was to liaise with the Germans for war repatriations. However, he and Lenin disagreed about the method of handling the negotiations and as a result, Trotsky resigned from his post. After the Bolsheviks took control of the government, Trotsky was appointed leader of the Red Army and led it to a victory against the White Army (made up of non-Bolshevik socialist revolutionaries).
From the 1920s onwards, Lenin's relationship with the party deteriorated as his stance against some of Lenin's policies led to accusations of hypocrisy. By 1922, the pressures of revolution had adversely affected Lenin's health and amongst worsening health, questions arose regarding the leadership of the party. Lenin's experience and victory as a military leader made him an obvious choice but his hardline stance against some policies had made him many enemies. Although Stalin was initially appointed to an insignificant post, he started consolidating his power by appointing party members to positions. Seeing Stalin's rise, Lenin tried to support Trotsky on several occasions; however, a third stroke managed to silence him and Stalin was able to out-maneuver Lenin. Trotsky was eventually pushed out of Russia and in 1929, he fled to Mexico City.
During the Great Purges, Stalin branded Lenin as one of the enemies of the people and threw all 16 of his allies into prison. In 1940, a Soviet agent killed Trotsky with an ice pick.
Under Stalin's dictatorship, Trotsky was discredited and his contributions towards the Soviet Union were eradicated. In 2001, 10 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Trotsky was 'rehabilitated' (biography.com, n.d) and his legacy was restored.
Leon Trotsky (Born Lev Davidovich Bronstein) was born in 1879 in Yanovka, Ukraine to prosperous Jewish farmers (Biography.com, n.d.). In his final year in school, Trotsky was exposed to Marxism and helped found the South Russian Workers' Union in 1897. He was arrested in 1898 and spent the next two years in prison awaiting trial (Wikipedia, 2013). In 1900, he was exiled to Siberia, along with his wife and two daughters.
After serving only two years of his sentence, Trotsky escaped exile and abandoned his wife and two daughters. He changed his name to Leon Trotsky and made his way to London where he joined the Socialist Democratic Party and met Vladimir Lenin. Seeing disputes between the party's leadership regarding its' form and strategy, Trotsky attempted to tread the middle ground when confronted with arguments from respected revolutionaries such as Lenin and Julius Martov. While many revolutionaries sided with Lenin, including Joseph Stalin, Trotsky's neutrality was seen as disloyalty.
Trotsky returned to Russia in 1905 after hearing that demonstrators were killed by the Imperial Guards. He returned to Russia to support the uprisings and by the end of 1905, he had emerged as a leader of the movement. However, the movement was crushed and he was sent to Siberia again. He managed to escape in 1907, traveled to Europe and spent 10 years in exile in cities such as New York, Vienna and Zurich. When he returned to Russia in 1917, he immediately set about addressing some of the key problems in post-revolutionary Russia. In response to criticisms directed towards the provisional government, Prime Minister Alexander Kerensky had Trotsky arrested and thrown into jail.
In 1918, the provisional government was overthrown and Trotsky's first role in the new government was to liaise with the Germans for war repatriations. However, he and Lenin disagreed about the method of handling the negotiations and as a result, Trotsky resigned from his post. After the Bolsheviks took control of the government, Trotsky was appointed leader of the Red Army and led it to a victory against the White Army (made up of non-Bolshevik socialist revolutionaries).
From the 1920s onwards, Lenin's relationship with the party deteriorated as his stance against some of Lenin's policies led to accusations of hypocrisy. By 1922, the pressures of revolution had adversely affected Lenin's health and amongst worsening health, questions arose regarding the leadership of the party. Lenin's experience and victory as a military leader made him an obvious choice but his hardline stance against some policies had made him many enemies. Although Stalin was initially appointed to an insignificant post, he started consolidating his power by appointing party members to positions. Seeing Stalin's rise, Lenin tried to support Trotsky on several occasions; however, a third stroke managed to silence him and Stalin was able to out-maneuver Lenin. Trotsky was eventually pushed out of Russia and in 1929, he fled to Mexico City.
During the Great Purges, Stalin branded Lenin as one of the enemies of the people and threw all 16 of his allies into prison. In 1940, a Soviet agent killed Trotsky with an ice pick.
Under Stalin's dictatorship, Trotsky was discredited and his contributions towards the Soviet Union were eradicated. In 2001, 10 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Trotsky was 'rehabilitated' (biography.com, n.d) and his legacy was restored.
Trotsky as Snowball: Why did Orwell choose to portray the character in this way?
Name
As opposed to the name choice for Stalin, the name chosen to represent Trotsky in Animal Farm is Snowball. This may reflect on Trotsky's beliefs about the Communist Revolution; that it should create a 'snowball effect' and spread around the world. However when considering Stalin's retaliatory actions in the late 1930s, one might almost say Trotsky had a 'snowball's chance in hell' of coming out alive.
Snowball's character and actions
At the beginning of the book, Snowball is portrayed as a 'more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive' (Chapter 2). However, he is not considered to have the 'same depth of character' (Chapter 2). In the light of Napoleon's expulsion of Snowball from Animal Farm, it is easy to consider Snowball a heroic figure. However, Snowball is not without his faults as although he was not directly responsible for the eventual metamorphosis of Animal Farm into a police state run by the pigs, he helped lay the groundwork for such a change. One example of this is the collection of the apples for the consumption of the pigs. 'Even Snowball and Napoleon' were in 'full agreement' (Chapter 3) of the apples being redistributed to the pigs for the purpose of 'brainwork', showing that Snowball was agreeing to an unequal system.
Although it is easy to paint Trotsky as a martyr when compared to Stalin's tyranny, he was not without his faults as well. Trotsky's tendency to antagonize those less adept than him won him no allies in the party and eventually contributed to his downfall. Trotsky's reputation as an intellectual may also have been seen as some as out of touch with the working class, something that was further complicated by his background as an educated individual.
If Trotsky had taken over Stalin, would things be different?
Was Orwell successful?
Under Orwell's pen, Trotsky was portrayed as a more nuanced character than Stalin. Orwell places equal weight on Snowball's idealism, while mentioning Snowball's passiveness towards the elevation of the pigs to a higher social status. As opposed to Napoleon, who is portrayed as a cunning, power-hungry pig from the outset, Orwell never directly attributes such ambition to Snowball's character; instead, Snowball seems to be more interested in educating the masses as evidenced by the increased degree of literacy after the revolution.
As opposed to the name choice for Stalin, the name chosen to represent Trotsky in Animal Farm is Snowball. This may reflect on Trotsky's beliefs about the Communist Revolution; that it should create a 'snowball effect' and spread around the world. However when considering Stalin's retaliatory actions in the late 1930s, one might almost say Trotsky had a 'snowball's chance in hell' of coming out alive.
Snowball's character and actions
At the beginning of the book, Snowball is portrayed as a 'more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive' (Chapter 2). However, he is not considered to have the 'same depth of character' (Chapter 2). In the light of Napoleon's expulsion of Snowball from Animal Farm, it is easy to consider Snowball a heroic figure. However, Snowball is not without his faults as although he was not directly responsible for the eventual metamorphosis of Animal Farm into a police state run by the pigs, he helped lay the groundwork for such a change. One example of this is the collection of the apples for the consumption of the pigs. 'Even Snowball and Napoleon' were in 'full agreement' (Chapter 3) of the apples being redistributed to the pigs for the purpose of 'brainwork', showing that Snowball was agreeing to an unequal system.
Although it is easy to paint Trotsky as a martyr when compared to Stalin's tyranny, he was not without his faults as well. Trotsky's tendency to antagonize those less adept than him won him no allies in the party and eventually contributed to his downfall. Trotsky's reputation as an intellectual may also have been seen as some as out of touch with the working class, something that was further complicated by his background as an educated individual.
If Trotsky had taken over Stalin, would things be different?
Was Orwell successful?
Under Orwell's pen, Trotsky was portrayed as a more nuanced character than Stalin. Orwell places equal weight on Snowball's idealism, while mentioning Snowball's passiveness towards the elevation of the pigs to a higher social status. As opposed to Napoleon, who is portrayed as a cunning, power-hungry pig from the outset, Orwell never directly attributes such ambition to Snowball's character; instead, Snowball seems to be more interested in educating the masses as evidenced by the increased degree of literacy after the revolution.
There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can inquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the train is at full speed and accident threatens.
Overthrow of Mr Jones and the russian revolution
Under proprietor Mr Jones, Animal Farm was originally called Manor Farm. In the context of the timeframe in which Animal Farm was written, Mr Jones represents Tsar Nicholas II.
Nicholas II (1894-1917) was the last of the Romanovs. He is widely regarded as an inept ruler, as under his reign, Russia was involved in two wars and the standard of living for ordinary people deteriorated rapidly.
Orwell notes that the rebellion 'was achieved much earlier and more easily than anyone had expected' (Chapter 2), perhaps suggesting that in the light of such bad conditions, revolution was inevitable. The description of Manor Farm as a place where 'the fields were full of weeds' and where the very 'buildings wanted roofing' (Chapter 2) paints a picture of an old and derelict wasteland-much like pre-revolutionary Russia. Orwell also depicts Jones' men as 'idle and dishonest' (Chapter 2), paralleling the inefficiency and corruption present in the Russian government prior to the revolution.
Incensed by Jones' neglect and spurred on by their hunger, the animals pour into the barn after one of the cows breaks into the door of the store-shed with her horn. The relative disorganization of the animals' rebellion mirrors the February Revolution; an uprising that rapidly spiraled out of control. By the time Jones acts, it is far to late to fight back and he and his workers are pushed off the farm.
Immediately after the rebellion, Napoleon and Snowball arrive on the scene and establish control. They reveal that 'during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr. Jones's children and which had been thrown on the rubbish heap' (Chapter 2) and explain that they have 'succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments'. The distillation of the principles of Animalism so as to make them more accessible to the masses reflect on Trotsky's idealistic attempt to school the Russian working class in the tenets of Marxism.
In Chapter 2, Napoleon seems more content to let the idealistic and quick-talking Snowball lead from the front. After the animals notice the 'frothy creamy milk' (Chapter 2), Napoleon reassures them that it will be 'attended to', rushing to urge them to follow 'Comrade Snowball' to collect the harvest. When the animals come back in the evening, 'it was noticed that the milk had disappeared', foreshadowing Napoleon's underhandedness and lack of scruple.
Nicholas II (1894-1917) was the last of the Romanovs. He is widely regarded as an inept ruler, as under his reign, Russia was involved in two wars and the standard of living for ordinary people deteriorated rapidly.
Orwell notes that the rebellion 'was achieved much earlier and more easily than anyone had expected' (Chapter 2), perhaps suggesting that in the light of such bad conditions, revolution was inevitable. The description of Manor Farm as a place where 'the fields were full of weeds' and where the very 'buildings wanted roofing' (Chapter 2) paints a picture of an old and derelict wasteland-much like pre-revolutionary Russia. Orwell also depicts Jones' men as 'idle and dishonest' (Chapter 2), paralleling the inefficiency and corruption present in the Russian government prior to the revolution.
Incensed by Jones' neglect and spurred on by their hunger, the animals pour into the barn after one of the cows breaks into the door of the store-shed with her horn. The relative disorganization of the animals' rebellion mirrors the February Revolution; an uprising that rapidly spiraled out of control. By the time Jones acts, it is far to late to fight back and he and his workers are pushed off the farm.
Immediately after the rebellion, Napoleon and Snowball arrive on the scene and establish control. They reveal that 'during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book which had belonged to Mr. Jones's children and which had been thrown on the rubbish heap' (Chapter 2) and explain that they have 'succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments'. The distillation of the principles of Animalism so as to make them more accessible to the masses reflect on Trotsky's idealistic attempt to school the Russian working class in the tenets of Marxism.
In Chapter 2, Napoleon seems more content to let the idealistic and quick-talking Snowball lead from the front. After the animals notice the 'frothy creamy milk' (Chapter 2), Napoleon reassures them that it will be 'attended to', rushing to urge them to follow 'Comrade Snowball' to collect the harvest. When the animals come back in the evening, 'it was noticed that the milk had disappeared', foreshadowing Napoleon's underhandedness and lack of scruple.
The battle of the cowshed and the russian civil war
One of the pivotal moments in the establishment of Animal Farm is the Battle of the Cowshed. In the context of Animal Farm, the Battle of the Cowshed stands for the Russian Civil War (1917-1922).
The Russian Civil war was fought between two fronts; the Red Army and the White Army. The Red Army was made up of revolutionaries and Bolsheviks while the opposing White Army was made up of loosely allied anti-Bolshevik forces (Wikipedia, 2013). These included landowners, old army generals and monarchists. In addition to the internal dissent, Russia's withdrawal from the war effort made the Allied Forces (made up of the United States, United Kingdom and France) fear the establishment of a Russo-German Alliance. Indeed, the rise of the Bolshevik forces made the Central Powers (comprised of the German Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) concerned about the spread of socialist ideals to the West.
In the novel, Orwell loosely categorizes the White Army, Western and Central Powers into the human beings invading Animal Farm. The human beings coming into the farm come from Foxwood and Pinchfield, neighboring farms that are owned by Mr Pilkington and Mr Frederick respectively. Over the course of the novel, it becomes increasingly clear that Mr Pilkington represents the United Kingdom/Winston Churchill while Mr Frederick represents Germany/Adolf Hitler; both important players with very different interests. Both Pilkington and Frederick are afraid that the revolutionary spirit will influence their animals, resulting in a similar rebellion.
In the Battle of the Cowshed, Snowball emerges as an excellent leader, managing to successfully repel the outsiders from Animal Farm. We also note the flight of Mollie, a horse that represents the bourgeoise. However, the greatest and 'most terrifying spectacle of all' is Boxer, a representative of the proletariat, as he strikes out with his 'great iron-clad hoofs like a stallion'.
In the case of the Battle of the Cowshed, it is easy to paint the human beings as the stereotypical 'bad guys'; after all, Frederick and Pinchfield attack Animal Farm simply because they fear a similar revolution bubbling up on their farm, not out of concern for the mistreatment of the animals. Despite Snowball's outstanding performance, Orwell also casts some aspersions on Snowball (and Trotsky's) ideology as Snowball advocates extreme violence, going so far as to state 'the only good human being is a dead one' (Chapter 3). The only truly innocent party seems to be the proletariat in this case, as Boxer states that he has 'no wish to take life, not even human life' (Chapter 3).
The Russian Civil war was fought between two fronts; the Red Army and the White Army. The Red Army was made up of revolutionaries and Bolsheviks while the opposing White Army was made up of loosely allied anti-Bolshevik forces (Wikipedia, 2013). These included landowners, old army generals and monarchists. In addition to the internal dissent, Russia's withdrawal from the war effort made the Allied Forces (made up of the United States, United Kingdom and France) fear the establishment of a Russo-German Alliance. Indeed, the rise of the Bolshevik forces made the Central Powers (comprised of the German Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire) concerned about the spread of socialist ideals to the West.
In the novel, Orwell loosely categorizes the White Army, Western and Central Powers into the human beings invading Animal Farm. The human beings coming into the farm come from Foxwood and Pinchfield, neighboring farms that are owned by Mr Pilkington and Mr Frederick respectively. Over the course of the novel, it becomes increasingly clear that Mr Pilkington represents the United Kingdom/Winston Churchill while Mr Frederick represents Germany/Adolf Hitler; both important players with very different interests. Both Pilkington and Frederick are afraid that the revolutionary spirit will influence their animals, resulting in a similar rebellion.
In the Battle of the Cowshed, Snowball emerges as an excellent leader, managing to successfully repel the outsiders from Animal Farm. We also note the flight of Mollie, a horse that represents the bourgeoise. However, the greatest and 'most terrifying spectacle of all' is Boxer, a representative of the proletariat, as he strikes out with his 'great iron-clad hoofs like a stallion'.
In the case of the Battle of the Cowshed, it is easy to paint the human beings as the stereotypical 'bad guys'; after all, Frederick and Pinchfield attack Animal Farm simply because they fear a similar revolution bubbling up on their farm, not out of concern for the mistreatment of the animals. Despite Snowball's outstanding performance, Orwell also casts some aspersions on Snowball (and Trotsky's) ideology as Snowball advocates extreme violence, going so far as to state 'the only good human being is a dead one' (Chapter 3). The only truly innocent party seems to be the proletariat in this case, as Boxer states that he has 'no wish to take life, not even human life' (Chapter 3).
The affair of the windmill and the Trotsky/STalin Ideological divide
In Chapter 3, the animals go through a period of relative peace and plenty, however, friction between Snowball and Napoleon becomes increasingly apparent as it is noted that these two were never in agreement: whatever suggestion either of them made, the other could be counted on to oppose it' (Chapter 3). In addition to studying and learning 'other necessary arts from books which they [the pigs] had brought out from the farmhouse', Snowball also 'busied himself with organizing the other animals into what he called Animal Committees'. Despite Snowball's best efforts, the projects 'broke down almost immediately'. Napoleon on the other hand, takes 'no interest in Snowball's committees' and states that 'the education of the young is [was] more important than anything that could be done for those who had grown up'. From a few examples, we can see that the initial facade of cooperativeness between Snowball and Napoleon is already beginning to fracture and this mirrors the ideological divide separating Stalin and Lenin.
This is more evident in the affair of the windmill. Napoleon displays open disdain for the construction of the windmill, going so far as to urinate on the plans. The windmill represents the importance of technological modernization and Trotsky's wish to start a world-wide communist revolution.
Napoleon's initial opposition to the idea is further contrasted by his later actions; once Snowball is out of the picture, he actively pursues this initiative. This mirrors Stalin's balking at the idea of a centralized electrical system and improved infrastructure-only to embrace such plans after he consolidated his power, further highlighting his hypocrisy.
The windmill also stands as a symbol of Trotsky's aspirations; while the windmill would undoubtedly bring great benefits to the farm, one has to wonder whether Snowball's plans would be too fantastical and farfetched. Napoleon's disdain for the idea corresponds with Stalin's wish to keep socialism in one country, while Snowball's enthusiasm for the windmill echoes Trotsky's hopes to build the revolution taller, more efficient and more accessible.
This is more evident in the affair of the windmill. Napoleon displays open disdain for the construction of the windmill, going so far as to urinate on the plans. The windmill represents the importance of technological modernization and Trotsky's wish to start a world-wide communist revolution.
Napoleon's initial opposition to the idea is further contrasted by his later actions; once Snowball is out of the picture, he actively pursues this initiative. This mirrors Stalin's balking at the idea of a centralized electrical system and improved infrastructure-only to embrace such plans after he consolidated his power, further highlighting his hypocrisy.
The windmill also stands as a symbol of Trotsky's aspirations; while the windmill would undoubtedly bring great benefits to the farm, one has to wonder whether Snowball's plans would be too fantastical and farfetched. Napoleon's disdain for the idea corresponds with Stalin's wish to keep socialism in one country, while Snowball's enthusiasm for the windmill echoes Trotsky's hopes to build the revolution taller, more efficient and more accessible.