Russian Revolution

Question answers
What were the main changes brought about by the Bolsheviks immediately after the
October Revolution?
Many changes were brought about by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution. They
were:

1. Industries and banks were nationalised.

2. The land was declared social property and peasants were allowed to seize
the land of the nobility.
3. In cities, Bolsheviks enforced the partition of large houses according to
family requirements.
4. The use of the old titles of the aristocracy was banned. New uniforms for
the army and officials were designed.
5. The Bolshevik Party was renamed as the Russian Communist Party
(Bolshevik).
6. Despite opposition by their political allies, the Bolsheviks made peace with
Germany and withdrew from the First World War.
7. In the later years, the Bolsheviks became the only party to participate in
the elections to the All Russian Congress of Soviets. It became the
Parliament of Russia.

Which event in Russian history is known as Bloody Sunday ?

Answer:

 On 9th January, 1905 a mass of peaceful workers with their wives and
children was fired at St. Petersburg while on its way to the Winter Palace
to present a petition to the Tsar.
 More than a hundred workers were killed and about 300 were wounded.
 The incident known as Bloody Sunday in history of Russia as the massacre
had taken place on Sunday.

Explain in brief Lenin’s contribution to the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Answer:

 Lenin had played an important part in the Russian Revolution of 1917. It is

true that after the fall of Tsar, Lenin led the revolutionaries. Really, it was
the beginning of the revolution.
 The Provisional Government, under the leadership of Kerenskii, could not
implement the demand of the people and failed.
 Under Lenin’s leadership, the Bolshevik Party put forward clear policies to
end the war, transfer the land to the peasants and advance the slogan ‘All
power to the Soviets’.
 He had described the Russian empire as a Prison of Nations and had
declared that . no genuine democracy could be established unless all the
non-Russian people were given equal rights.
How Lenin’s name became inseparable from the Russian Revolution ?
Answer:
Lenin’s name became inseparable from the Russian Revolution :

 After completing his education, he joined the Communist Revolutionary

Party and started spreading revolutionary ideas among the workers. He
favoured the workers. He also favoured the setting up of the new society
based on the principles of socialism of Karl Marx.
 He set up a Communist Government in place of the despotic rule in Russia.
Therefore, Lenin’s name became inseparable from the Russian Revolution.
 Lenin united the peasants and workers under the Bolshevik Party and
directed the revolution against the Provisional Government.
 Efforts were made to set up a Socialist Government on the basis of
principles of Karl Marx. The private property was confiscated. Lenin took
the land from the landlords and distributed it among the peasants. The
Government nationalised all the factories and handed over their
management to the workers. All debts were remitted. The property of the
Church was also confiscated.

What was the global impact of the Russian Revolution ?

Answer:
The global impact of the Russian Revolution were :

 The Bolshevik Revolution helped in the spread of Socialist and Communist

ideas all over the world. Communist Governments were established in
many European countries.
 Most of the Bolshevik leaders believed that a series of revolutions will
sweep other countries of the world along with revolution in Russia. Many
non-Russians from outside the USSR participated in the conference of the
people of the east and the Bolshevik-founded Comintern, an international
union of Pro-Bolshevik socialist parties.
 The Bolshevik government ‘granted freedom to all its colonies immediately
after coming to power. Thus, the new Soviet State came forward as a
friend of the subjugated people and proved to be a source of great
inspiration to the freedom movements of various Asian and African
countries.
 By the end of the 20th century, the international reputation of the USSR as
a socialist country had declined through it was recognised that socialist
ideals still enjoyed respect among its people.

Who were the Liberals, Radicals and Conservatives?

Answer:
The Liberals, Radicals and Conservatives were totally opposed in their views.
The Liberals wanted individual rights for the citizens, religious tolerance, and an
elected parliament. They were not in favour of giving women the right to vote
and they wanted only men with property to vote.
  In contrast to the Liberals the Radicals were opposed to only wealthy men
having the right to vote. They were in favour of women’s rights and wanted a
Government that represented the majority of the population.
 The Conservatives were truly conservative in their views . They wanted changes
for the better, but wanted the changes to take place slowly, giving due respect
to the past .

List out the Socialist Ideas of the mid 19th century.

Answer:
The Socialist Ideas of the mid 19th century are as follows:

 They were against private property.

 Private property was the root cause for all social ills.
 The propertied individual owners were concerned only about their own
profits.
 The welfare of the workers was neglected.
 They wanted a society controlled property rather than the individual
owned as that would pay more attention to the social interest.

Explain the main demands of “April Theses”.

Answer:
In April 1917, the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia from his exile. He
and the Bolsheviks had opposed the war since 1914. Now he felt it was time for soviets
to take over power. He put three demands which were known as Lenin’s April Theses.
The three demands were :
(a) He declared that the war to be ended
(b) Land to be transferred to the peasants
(c) The banks to be nationalized.

What were the significant changes in the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin ?
Answer:
In 1925, Stalin became General Secretary of the Communist Party of Soviet Union after
the death of Lenin.
The following were the significant changes in the Soviet Union after the death of
Lenin.

 The economic and military power of the Soviet Union was enhanced
rapidly.
 The unemployment and economic backwardness was controlled to some
extent.
 The international position of the Soviet Union became much better than
the previous time and it became one of the super powers of the world.

Why did socialists believe that private property was the root of all social ills of the
time? (Imp)
Answer:
Socialists argued that individuals own the property that gave employment but the men
with property were concerned only with personal gain and not with the welfare of
those who made the property productive. So if a society as a whole rather than single
individuals controlled property, more attention would be paid to collective social
interests . Socialist wanted this change and campaigned for it.

How were the Bolsheviks different from the Mensheviks?

Answer:

Mensheviks Bolsheviks

The Mensheviks represented The Bolsheviks under

a minority group under the their leader Lenin
(i) (i)
leadership of Alexander constituted a majority of
Kerenskii. the socialists.

They wanted to work for

They believed in gradual
Revolution. They
change and establishment
favoured a disciplined
(ii) of a parliamentary form of (ii)
party, to control the
government like that of
members and quality of
France and Britain.
its members.

They wanted to make the

They favoured a party
party an instrument for
(iii) which was open to all and (iii)
bringing about the
to work within the system.
Revolution.
What was Stalin’s collectivisation programme? How were peasants treated who resisted
his programme?
Answer:
Stalin’s collectivisation programme:
Collectivisation was a policy of forced consolidation of individual peasant, households
into collective farms called ‘Kolkhozes’. It was carried out by the Soviet Government in
the late 1920s – early 1930s. Stalin introduced this system to overcome the food crisis
which was rampant in the country at that time and to increase peasant labour
productivity. The bulk of land and implements were transferred to the ownership of
collective farm.

Many peasants protested such attempts and destroyed livestock to show their anger.
But Stalin’s collectivisation programme did not bring the desired results. The food
supply situation turned even worse in subsequent years because production did not
increase immediately.

Peasants were not happy with Stalin’s collectivisation programme because their land
had been taken away to establish state-controlled large farms. They resisted the
authorities and destroyed their livestock. These peasants were severely punished.
Many were deported and exiled. Although Stalin’s government allowed some
independent cultivation, it treated such cultivation unsympathetically.
How were the critics of planned economy and collectivisation treated by Stalin’s and
his sympathizers?
Answer:

 Many people criticised the confusion in industrial production under the

Planned Economy and the consequences of collectivisation Stalin and his
sympathisers charged these critics with conspiracy against socialisation.
 Accusations were made throughout the country, and by 1939, over 2
millions were sent to prison or labour camps. Most were innocent of the
crimes, but no one spoke for them.
 A large number of people were forced to make false confessions under
torture and were executed. Several among them were talented
professionals.
 What triggered civil war in Russia?
Or
What conditions led to the civil war in Russia in 1918-1920?
Or
What were the reasons of the Russian civil war between the Bolsheviks
and the Russian army of non-Bolsheviks?
Answer:
The Russian civil war was a multi-party war in the former Russian Empire
immediately after the Russian Revolutions of 1917, as many factions
(red) to determine Russia’s political future. There were several reasons
behind it:
 (i) The Bolsheviks were totally opposed to private property. So, when
they came to power, they began working in this direction.
 (ii) They ordered land redistribution. This resulted in the breaking up of
the Russian army. Soldiers, mostly peasants, wished to go home for
redistribution and deserted the army.
 (iii) Non-Bolshevik socialists, liberals and supporters of autocracy
condemned the Bolshevik uprising. Their leaders moved to south Russia
and organised troops to fight the Bolsheviks (the reds).
 (iv) During 1918 and 1919, Socialist revolutionaries (the queens) and
Pro-Tsarists (the whites) controlled most of the Russian Empire. They
were backed by French, American, British and Japanese troops. All
these forces were worried at the growth of socialism in Russia.
 (v) There occur a civil war between these troops and the Bolsheviks as a
result of which looting, banditry and famine became common. By
January 1920, the Bolsheviks succeeded in controlling most of the
former Russian empire. In Khiva, in Central Asia, Bolshevik colonists
brutally massacred local nationalists in the name of defending socialism.