story
Animal Farm
The fable of a revolution that becomes the tyranny it overthrew.
Origin
Orwell's 1945 novella. Farm animals overthrow their human owner and run things themselves; the pigs gradually take over and become indistinguishable from humans. The motto 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others' is the book's most-quoted line.
Modern usage
Used to skewer any movement that betrays its own founding principles.
Tags
politics
revolution
hypocrisy