In Animal Farm, what would happen if all the animals were as educated as the pigs? How would our world change if everyone were highly educated?...

One of the main reasons that Napoleon is able to subjugate and exploit his former "comrades" is that he exceeds them in literacy, education, and knowledge of the outside world. He uses these advantages, among others, to subvert the original aims of the revolution, and re-instate a hierarchical system on the farm.

When Farmer Jones was first overthrown, the animals dreamt of an egalitarian system in which profits are shared, and in which all animals are "equal" (as per The Seven Commandments). Snowball teaches many of the animals how to read. These animals are able to read - and actually understand - The Seven Commandments, and the tenets of the revolution. They are also ostensibly able to learn about, and deal with, the outside world.

This all changes when Napoleon comes to power. In time, the notion of a "simple" life takes precedence over that of education and equality; the ideologically-driven windmill keeps the worker animals excited, agitated, and afraid. They are brainwashed by songs which exalt Napoleon, and horrific rumors about Snowball, Jones, and other shadowy conspirators.

By the end of the novel, most of the animals who had learned to read have died (like Boxer) or are in exile (like Snowball). Thus, the vast majority of the worker animals do not realize that The Seven Commandments have been amended ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others") to its opposite. Earlier, it is only Benjamin who is able to read the sign on the truck that has come for Boxer, and thereby to deduce that it belongs to a glue factory, not a veterinarian.

If more of the animals had been literate, perhaps they could have saved Boxer. Perhaps they would have been more aware of Napoleon's despotism, and his twisting of The Seven Commandments.

What if the animals had been able to write a letter to Snowball? What if, by reading outside books and newspapers, they had come to realize that Napoleon's rule was not egalitarian, but despotic? What if they had been exposed to new ideas and technologies?

We see, then, that an educated population would have been absolutely disastrous for Napoleon. The worker animals would have had a much better chance of achieving their revolutionary goals if most of them had been able to read and write. In this way, Animal Farm is a direct commentary on the "real" world and its politics. We can argue that, if more people were highly educated, they would be able to assert their needs, protect their rights, and create a kinder, egalitarian world.