On 17 August 1945 Animal Farm by George Orwell was published. Orwell wrote the book between November 1943 and February 1944.

The book is  political satire and an allegory for the events Orwell was witnessing (and foretelling) .

In the preface, Orwell described the source of the idea of setting the book on a farm:

I saw a little boy, perhaps ten years old, driving a huge carthorse along a narrow path, whipping it whenever it tried to turn. It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat.

Four publishers refused to publish Animal Farm, yet one had initially accepted the work but declined it after consulting the Ministry of Information. Eventually, Secker and Warburg published the first edition in 1945.

‘ “If liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” ’ Preface removed from Animal Farm