The real power in society stems from the people. Whether the regime in place is democratic or autocratic, the possibility of its perpetuation hails from the public. Since the concept of a governing body is artificial by its very nature, the key to its endurance lies in continual support of the system. Therefore, the most powerful entity in a government is the one that controls the people.
While in ancient societies the public believed in divinity and supremacy of their rulers--obviating the need for propaganda machines, modern regimes are built on the principle of 'first of many' where rulers are perceived as fallible and systems as overthrow-able. This realisation that a governing body can be flawed and corrupt birthed the idea of propaganda. Propaganda is essentially a form of advertisement, employed by the government and used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda. In an oppressive regime, such as the one in Animal Farm, this propaganda is often the only connection between the governing body and the population. The people perceive the people in charge only through the distorted lens of propaganda. Thus the official, responsible for the distribution of propaganda holds the key for swaying the public opinion.
In Animal Farm, Squealer is Napoleon's second-in-command and his minister of propaganda. He is a highly skilled and convincing orator, tasked with conveying Napoleon's announcements to the whole farm and maintaining the support for Napoleon's regime. While through the novel's progression Napoleon recedes further and further out of the public eye, Squealer remains ever in the spotlight. Due to his convincing rhetorics, he is able to manipulate the animals and conceal the increasing social rift between the pigs and the other animals on the farm. Thus, the Squealer becomes the real leader of farm animals. While Napoleon still technically remains in charge, the actual power resides in Squealer. It is through his speeches that the animals receive the will of Napoleon and his becomes the voice of authority.
While their leader Napoleon becomes progressively alien to the population of the farm, the Squealer remains familiar and from this stems his actual power. When the animals think of authority they do not picture Napoleon, instead they see the one who conveyed the commands and the one whose cheerful and friendly demeanour overshadowed the distant presence of their alleged ruler.
Squealer the Pig from "Animal Farm" is easily the most powerful character in the book, and it's clear why. While Napoleon is in control, Squealer holds control over the information, which is what gives true control over a populace. This is a very important tidbit to understand because of its relevancy to real life. Control over the media, or control over information flow, is true power in any government or organization.
If someone is able to spin a narrative or change a story to fit their own needs, they can motivate the people to support whatever they want—whether you believe the idea of "Fake News" spreading a certain narrative in today's media or information being disseminated by the likes of WikiLeaks, whoever controls information controls the people.
Because Napoleon is the pig most obsessed with power and manipulates all the other pigs in order to get and keep it, it would make sense to characterize him as the most powerful animal. However, the reason that Squealer can be considered the most powerful is that he controls the information. As the novel progresses, the information that is disseminated is very carefully controlled—both the amount and the kinds. The literacy campaign seems intended to help the animals learn more about the new social order, but it is quickly squashed. A simpler set of messages is all that is required. It is Squealer who crafts the message and gets them it to people. He is both a gifted writer and a gifted speaker who can make what is true one day seem a lie the next day. Squealer spreads the revised dogma, "Four legs good, two legs better!" after the pigs walk upright. And he crafts the single, essential commandment, “Some animals are more equal than others.”
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