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Comparing The Holocaust And Russian Oppression In George Orwell's Animal Farm

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Animal Farm is a satirical novella authored by George Orwell; it depicted scenes of a revolutionary government, holding strong ideals, changing and growing sour under the will bending forces of power. The book was released in a time where pro-communist ideas were popular, shortly after World War II. Animal Farm drew obvious and direct lines between current and former leaders of Russia and the USSR, the Holocaust and oppression of workers in the Soviet Union, as well as German fascism and Russian communism. In order to demonstrate the similarities between the Holocaust and Russian oppression, Orwell - in Animal Farm - showed the criminalization of opposing parties, public and vicious executions, and the changing of laws to suit the needs of leaders. In Orwell’s Animal Farm, Napoleon (the new, pig, leader of the Animal Farm) “...stood up and, casting a peculiar sidelong look at Snowball, uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before.”; in this, Napoleon called upon his attack dogs, who chased Snowball (the former Animal Farm leader) out of the farm. With Snowball gone, Napoleon could take his place, and rule the Animal Farm has he saw fit. This is very similar to an event in Nazi Germany. The Night of the Long Knives lasted from June 30th to July 2nd, 1934. During the Night of the Long …show more content…

Napoleon ordered the execution of any animal rumored to have had contact with Snowball, though mostly innocent animals were killed. This also pairs with Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany. Kristallnacht was the Nazi raiding, destroying and murdering Jews and Jewish shops and homes. Both the executions in Animal Farm and Kristallnacht served to distinguish the government’s enemies and strike fear in them and the average

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