Propaganda and the Manipulation of Truth

Follows the pigs' use of language, lies, and false statistics to control the animals' perception of reality.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The First Persuasion

The Justification of Privilege Squealer's Arguments Squealer convinces the animals that the pigs need milk and apples for brainwork to prevent Jones's return. The animals accept. The Unanswerable Question 'Do you want Jones back?' becomes the go-to argument. It silences all doubt. The Power of Fear Propaganda works by invoking fear of the alternative. The animals are manipulated through their deepest anxieties.

The Rewriting of History

The Alteration of the Past Snowball Becomes a Traitor Squealer claims Snowball was always a traitor, in league with Jones. The animals' memories are manipulated. The False Statistics Squealer reads out figures showing that food production has increased, even when the animals are hungry. They cannot remember the truth. The Control of Information The pigs control what the animals know. They hide the fact that the potato crop failed, and they fill bins with sand to deceive Whymper.

The Final Lies

The Complete Deception The Boxer Lie Squealer invents a moving deathbed scene for Boxer, claiming he died happy and loyal. The animals believe it. The Pigs' Self-Justification They present their tyranny as a sacrifice for the common good. The sheep are taught to bleat 'Four legs good, two legs better!' to drown out protest. The End of Truth Truth is whatever the pigs say it is. The animals are left with no way to verify their reality. Propaganda has become the only truth.

the first summer

after the expulsion of Snowball

the end of the story