Absolute power corrupts absolutely. So often has this quote has been associated to animal farm… the question is why? What is it about power that it corrupts even the noblest of the noble and most selfless of the selfless? Be it napoleon or Mr. Jones in animal farm, the tsar or Stalin in the Russian revolution or simply the head of any institution, why is it that even the slightest power is received and often abused?
Shakespeare wrote, “To do a great right, do a little wrong”. In my opinion it is this logic that is the basis of corruption of power holders or leaders. To say that all leaders are corrupt would be incorrect as even within animal we have the exception of snowball that was propagated against and ironically exiled for apparent corruption and scheming. Through various sociological experiments led by leading universities in the world such as Yale and Cambridge, it has been proven that leaders often turn corrupt when receiving perks of leadership, and when they learn they can take excess advantage of people without being questioned, they soon become corrupt. In animal farm we see how Napoleon soon turns corrupt though initially he was a part of and leading the revolution; however over time he seemed to be enjoying his power and authority so he started taking undue advantage of it. It was through the smaller things like only the pigs being allowed to eat the apples and drink the milk, he consolidated their apparent superiority. He was very particular about being the only one with power and his hunger for the same led him to extremes to ensure others did not receive any power. He did this by intimidating the rest of the animals with either his watch dogs or convinced them that they were wrong and he was right through the use of squealer. All those who opposed him were eventually silenced such as snowball and also the four little piglets. The same is to be said about Stalin and his regime. He fought side by side with Trotsky during the Russian revolution but soon, as napoleon did with snowball, he exiled Trotsky to foreign countries when he seemed to be too high a threat. Editor of his propaganda newspaper 'Pravda', Stalin used it shamelessly to distort the truth and promote himself, much as Napoleon used squealer where as napoleon's dogs represented Stalin's secret police. So between the two, Stalin was never really threatened or questioned and happily exploited the common man and took undue advantage of his position.
In my opinion, corrupt leaders are those who have an inbuilt sense of superiority and expect people to bribe or praise them because, according to them, they are more capable than others. This is commonly seen in the pages of history when monarchs who inherit their throne let the kingdom crumble economically or in war. They just expect things to work out and bask in the glory of their predecessor. Tsar Nicholas the second was one such leader. The moment his country faced hardship his authority crumbled. He did everything in his power to regain authority but failed drastically and spurred the Russian revolution. This description is strikingly similar to that of Mr. Jones who easily lost his farm to the animals. Despite his desperate attempt to regain control during the battle of the cowshed, he was rendered unsuccessful. His excessive exploitation of resources, Jones seems to be enjoying luxuries such as a comfortable bed and consumption of alcohol while his poor animals were eating bland grains and had no luxuries of their own. the animals representing the common man and working class of Russia who didn't receive any luxuries while the tsar and the elite of the nation slept every night in comfort without working or earning it.
The use of religion in the Russian revolution is seen when Stalin allowed the propagation of the Roman Catholic Church. though originally against the idea of religion being a contribution to the revolution, as it was a tool used by the tsar to keep the common man in check, Stalin allowed it back into the country when he needed to raise the moral of the public and faith of the people in the work they are doing. The church enticed them with stories of heaven and created fear in the apparent repercussions of their actions if they do not follow the church. Moses the tame raven, also originally Mr. Jones’s special pet, used to tell the animals the wonders of sugar candy mountain and how if the animals work hard they will go to Sugarcandy Mountain after they die. Though he was unseen for a time after the revolution, the reign of napoleon brought his return to animal farm.
It does not stand true that all leaders are corrupted by power. This is because they choose to use their power for social welfare. With a target in mind other than self gratification and greed, great leaders of the world such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela have remained untainted and uncorrupted. Often these leaders are born out of necessity and suffering, having personally suffered losses and wanting change. Trotsky was introduced to the concept of Marxism during his exile. Though he was originally against the concepts of Marxism he came out of exile a dedicated Marxist. Well educated and highly spirited, he went about the Russian revolution with great tact. He used his knowledge to suggest changes to improve the state of the common man, and propagated industrialization. It was against this that Stalin fought vehemently though after the exile of Trotsky he, hypocritically, fully supported it.
Snowball was also a similar character. Like Trotsky we see not a hint of corruption in his character. Through out the book he has been productive and motivational. A good orator, he came up with productive suggestions such as the building of the windmill but was sadly driven out despite his integrity and valour.
Though we have seen great and selfless leaders in the pages of history we have also witnessed few terrible, merciless and brutal, and scores of weak, corrupt and unmemorable leaders. So ignoring the few noticeable and remarkable exceptions to the rule, Does absolute power lead to absolute corruption? Absolutely.
