Animal Farm , written by George Orwell , is a political fable that tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their cruel human master, hoping to create a society where all animals are equal, free, and happy. Inspired by the dream of the wise old pig Old Major, the animals overthrow the farmer Mr. Jones and take control of the farm, renaming it Animal Farm. At first, the animals work together to build an egalitarian community based on the principles of Animalism, summarized in the Seven Commandments painted on the barn wall. However, over time, the pigs—led by the cunning and power-hungry Napoleon—begin to seize control. They gradually assume privileges, manipulate language and truth, and use fear and propaganda to maintain power. Eventually, they become indistinguishable from the humans they once overthrew. This allegory clearly reflects the events of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the rise of Stalinism. The animals represent different social and political groups...
The British ruling class looked upon themselves as the true heirs of the Roman empire as an empire that was comparable with the Roman Empire (see British Empire).
For this reason, classical outlook and imperial pretensions of ancient Rome under the Emperor Augustus were resumed.
Neoclassicism spread in all cultural sectors and became a way of life. The Augustan artists shared a belief in reason as capable of imposing some order on an otherwise chaotic world.
In philosophy, David Hume is the leader of Scepticism: this rational tendency is also apparent in the analysis of religion conducted by the Deists, a group of thinkers who rejected the revealed religion in favour of natural religion.
Upper-class women came to achieve a central role. In their literary salons, women took part in the political, social and literary debates.
The middle class had been important after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 at the point that gradually merged with the aristocratic class. Rich tradesmen and manufacturers bought estates and so seats in Parliament, while their sons and daughters married into the aristocracy, sharing same interests such as trade, agriculture and industrial ventures.
This phenomenon caused a change of social values.
The middle class learnt from the aristocracy good manners, while the aristocracy learnt new values like religious belief in work and strong sense of the family.
The middle class also learnt their manners from the pages of newspapers and magazines. In this period, coffeehouses and clubs were important because people could discuss current events and write there.
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