As Lord Acton once said: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” (1887). Looking at history, we see that leaders tend to change after taking power. All they need is a little spark to shine a light on something bad. A little change here, a little change there is enough. Napoleon, in George Orwell's Animal Farm, changes the rules one after the other to suit his needs and those of the Squealers, thus corrupting them in the end. Napoleon and Squealer show that power corrupts leaders through their actions and attitudes toward society and the animals who work to do their best to improve the Farm. George Orwell got the idea for Animal Farm while watching someone whip a draft horse. When he saw this, it made him think of the working class, the people who were treated horribly by capitalist governments with long working hours and low wages. Animal Farm was written to be an example of how totalitarianism destroys human dignity. It was not just Stalin, but all dictators. In Animal Farm, animals were used to represent the characters in the story. Old Major was a wild boar who believed in a society run by animals without help from humans. He spreads the idea to the rest of the farm animals and they quickly agree. This meant that the animals would have to revolt against the farm owner, Mr. Jones, and his wife to make it work. The old major died of old age a few days later. Old Major represents Karl Marx. Old Major's speech parallels Marx's philosophy of a perfect socialist society. Along with the farm animals, they essentially work for Jones. Marx believed that a minority of people holding power was one of the main flaws of capitalism. The farm animals revolted after the death of the old major, just like the Bolsheviks revolted... middle of paper ...... and the trust of the other farm animals. Corruption only leads to the death of innocence. Works Cited “Animal Farm: Power Corrupts.” Reverend of Animal Farm. Shmoop. Np, and Web. November 28, 2011. .Lamont, George J. “Animal Farm – Comparing Characters to the Russian Revolution.” » Reverend of Animal Farm. Barney Gonzaga.edu. Np, and Web. 29 November 2011. .May, Charles E. Masterplots II: British Common Heritage Fiction Series. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 1987. 1-3. British fiction series about the common wealth. Online literary reference. Internet. November 27, 2011. Orwell, George. Animal farm. New York: Sigent, 1996. Print. Spartacus Educational. Np, and Web. December 17. 2011. .