Anthem by Ayn Rand

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Anthemby Ayn Rand
Most current novel covers. Can be purchased at
any bookstore. Even used copies can be found
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Anthemby Ayn Rand

• Rands writing reflects her strong philosophical
  and political opinions.
• This is a politically motivated novel. It
  reflects the opinion Ayn developed after her
  experience with the Russian Revolution.

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• Like the majority of Europe, Russia was a
  monarchy.
• The Romanov Family ruled Russia from the early
  1600s to the early 1900s.

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• The majority of Russians disliked the class
  system in their country.
• Most were serfs, working for the few elite
  landowners in the fields.
• Serfs were like property that could be bought and
  sold.
• In 1861 Alexander Romanov II freed the Russian
  people from serfdom.

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• Twenty years later, despite being free, nothing
  really changed for the majority of the Russia
  people.
• Revolutionary groups began to form. Several
  assassinations were used as a tool to provoke
  change eventually killing Alexander Romanov II,
  the man who had freed them, in 1861.
• The only change the assassinations brought was
  tougher punishment and crackdowns on
  revolutionaries.

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The industrial revolution had occurred which
created more jobs. However, it did not bring
better pay or living/working conditions.The
country had also suffered major crop failure
which led to nation wide famine.

• By 1881, Nicolas Romanov was the Czar, but his
  reign was doomed from the start. After over 50
  years of mistreatment, the peoples distrust of
  the monarchy was well established.

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Author information

• She was born Alyssa Rosenbaum (1905)
• Middle Class (rare)
• At age 9 she decided to become a writer.
• She later changed her given name to her pen name
  Ayn Rand.

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Ayn Rand lived in the town of St.
Petersburg. (Photograph of St. Petersburg before
the revolution)
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• 1905 - 1910

• People began to protest again.
• The Czar allowed the people to form a Duma
  (parliament), but then spent the next few years
  undermining their power.
• The Duma was composed of middle and upper class,
  so it was not representative of the needs of the
  majority of Russian people.

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Demonstrators in 1917 demanding that the
government give power to the Socialist and
imprison the Czar.
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• Russia was losing in World War I, so the Czar
  dismissed the military leaders and took control
  of the army This resulted in his loss of
  military support.
• By 1917, Romanov lost all power. History
  documents that Nicolas Romanov was a very poor
  leader.
• The Duma was destroyed.
• Revolutionaries had collected a great force, and
  The Bolsheviks develop the worlds first
  communist country.

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The government effectively lost control . The
Communist Party took over police functions.
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Due to force by communist rebels, in 1917, Czar
Nicolas Romanov surrendered his position and
power to the communist revolutionaries.
(Romanovs are pictured below)
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Author Information

• The communist government began to take over when
  Ayn Rand was 12. Her family had to leave Russia
  for a few years. When they returned Ayn
  graduated from the University

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COMMUNISM

• A form of government where a society works toward
  the benefit of the community.
• Everyone is seen as equal.
• Wealth is distributed equally among the people.
• The state owns and controls all business and
  property.
• The state is run by one leading elite.

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Even though the Tsar had surrendered, he still
had supporters. He was imprisoned in the palace,
and then eventually the family was moved to a new
location. They remained imprisoned at the new
location for some months. The communists finally
determined that it was not safe to keep the
Romanov family alive. The entire family was
executed in the basement of the home in July,
1917.
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New Economic Policy allowed a limited
restoration of private trade. The photo above
shows people gathering in a square to sell goods
in the cold of January 1922.
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Author Information

• Rand left Russia because she hated the communist
  government.
• She settle in Hollywood, California.
• She began writing plays, short stories and
  novels.

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The novel has two competing philosophies.
Objectivism Collectivism

• Mans rights are set by the government.
• The government decides what job is best for each
  man.
• The government decides how man should look, act,
  and think.
• Man does what is best for the group.
• What form of government is collectivism?
• Communism

• Man is a hero.
• His own happiness is his reason for living.
• Man must be a productive worker.
• Man must only trust himself and his own beliefs
• What form of government is based on objectivism?
• Democracy

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Theme

• Angered by the conformity encouraged by her
  homeland of Russia, Ayn Rand authored this rather
  short novel to display one crucial theme
• Save yourself (beliefs and ideals) no matter the
  cost.

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Author Information

• Ayn Rand died March 6, 1982.