Propaganda is an indispensable tool for authoritarian governments and leaders. Propaganda is a powerful tool, and its use throughout history is a testament to its effectiveness. Through propaganda, governments tailor governmental institutions to their advantage, introducing obscurity and eliminating transparency and public accountability. A modern-day example of propaganda is the tactics used by the North Korean government. The plot of George Orwell’s Animal Farm depends heavily on propaganda, as a means of spreading fear and misinformation. In the book, Napoleon forcefully takes over power on the farm and uses brilliant propaganda to advance his interests while at the same time condemning and crushing opposition and dissidence.
Animal Farm begins with a successful revolution when the animals take control of the farm from the neglectful and irresponsible farmer, Mr. Jones. The revolution is inspired by Old Major, an old pig. After Old Major’s death, two young pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, implement Old Major’s ideas by leading the revolution and setting up order and prosperity on the farm. The animals introduce several doctrines on the farm, the most important of which is “All animals are equal”. However, the pigs elevate their position in the farm over time, reserving special food to themselves and other forms of special treatment. This elitism is the start of trouble for animal farm; soon, Napoleon and Snowball rival for leadership. Snowball leads a successful resistance against a take-over attempt by humans and becomes very popular on the farm. Snowball announces plans to build a windmill for the farm, buta6t this point he is chased away by Napoleon and his henchmen, a pack of dogs.
Napoleon uses propaganda to exhort the cooperation and support of the animals on the farm. For example, he steals Napoleon’s idea of the windmill and claims that it was his idea. He then creates a fictitious “enemy of the state” figure around Snowball, claiming that he is behind failures and disasters in the farm. Gradually, he replaces the government structure of animal farm, and introduces a new ideology based on the value of simplicity and hard work to encourage the animals to work ever harder. He replaces one of the founding doctrines of animal farm “All animals are equal”, with “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”, showing the extent of the corruption in animal farm.
Works Cited
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Boston: Addison-Wesley Longman, Incorporated, 1996. print.
The Economist. Doctored Strangelove. 19 March 2016. online. 7 June 2016. <http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21695078-staged-photographs-are-combed-clues-doctored-strangelove>.
