"Why Russia Still Loves Stalin"

Excerpts:

"It's not surprising. After the anarchy that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, a period when democracy came to represent confusion, crime, poverty, oligarchy, anger and disappointment, it turned out that Russians didn't like their new, "free" selves. Having for centuries had no sense of self-esteem outside the state, we found ourselves wanting our old rulers back, the rulers who provided a sense of order, inspired patriotic fervor and the belief that we were a great nation. We yearned for monumental -- if oppressive -- leaders, like Ivan the Terrible or Stalin. Yes, they killed and imprisoned, but how great were our victories and parades! So what if Stalin ruled by fear? That was simply a fear for one's life. However terrifying, it wasn't as existentially threatening as the fear of freedom, of individual choice, with no one but oneself to blame if democracy turned into disarray and capitalism into corruption."

"This tendency to dismiss the past, never to fully repent of its sins, is common in Russian history, and it allows for a film of nostalgia to take hold."

"Instead, the complexities of life in a fragmented modern society that can boast of no momentous achievements -- no more superpower status, no new Sputniks -- have made Russians nostalgic for the "strong state" they once inhabited. It's a cycle that will keep on repeating itself until Russia finally and fully confronts its past."

Napoleon

Napoleon represents Joseph Stalin while he carries the namesake of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon uses manipulation, propaganda and lies to rise to power and keep that power. He brainwashes soldiers into committing any crime asked of them and eliminate anyone who gets in his way.

Joseph Stalin

Napoleon Bonaparte

Character Correspondence to Historical Figures

Clover / Boxer: The working class
Napoleon: Joseph Stalin, Napoleon,
Snowball: Leon Trotsky
Squealer: Russian Media
Old Major: Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin,
Benjamin / Muriel: Lower Class Intelligentsia*, Literate Lower Class
Mollie: The Lower Class; Lumpenproletariat
Birds: Peasant Farmers
Moses: Russian Orthodox Church
Pigeon: Comintern; The Communist Magazine
Dogs: The Secret Police
Mr. and Mrs. Jones: Tsar of Russia, Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov (Nicholas II), and his wife Alexandra
Mr. Pilkington: Composite of England’s Leaders
Sheep: The Masses at Large
Mr. Fredrick: Composite of Germany’s Leaders w/ emphasis on Hitler
Mr. Whymper: Capitalism

* Intelligentsia: intellectuals who form an artistic, social, or political vanguard or elite