This has been a hotly debated topic for a while, now, and it seems that there are no clear cut answers. However, there are very clear allegorical elements in the story that to deny that they were intended in this way is, frankly, ludicrous. One of the allegorical elements is the use of various notable names: Napoleon(representing Stalin) and Snowball (Lenin). The structure of the heirarchy in the farmyard is reminiscent of old communist Russia.
