Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution
Short Questions Answer
Who were the liberals in Europe?
Answer: Liberals wanted a nation which tolerated all religions and supported a representative, elected parliamentary government.
What was the main demand of radicals?
Answer: Radicals wanted a government based on the majority of the country’s population and supported women’s suffrage.
Who were the conservatives?
Answer: Conservatives opposed liberals and radicals but gradually accepted that change was necessary through a slow process.
Who founded the cooperative community of New Harmony?
Answer: Robert Owen, a leading English manufacturer, founded the cooperative community called New Harmony in Indiana, USA.
What did Karl Marx believe about capitalism?
Answer: Marx believed capitalism exploited workers, and only a socialist society could end this exploitation.
Who ruled Russia in 1914?
Answer: Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia and its vast empire in 1914.
What was Bloody Sunday?
Answer: Bloody Sunday refers to the 1905 incident when peaceful workers marching to the Winter Palace were shot by the Tsar’s troops.
When did the October Revolution take place?
Answer: The October Revolution took place on 24 October 1917 (7 November in the modern calendar).
What were Lenin’s April Theses?
Answer: Lenin’s April Theses called for an end to war, transfer of land to peasants, and nationalisation of banks.
What was the new name of the Bolshevik Party after 1917?
Answer: The Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik).
Long Questions Answer
Explain the main ideas of liberals, radicals, and conservatives in nineteenth-century Europe.
Answer: Liberals wanted tolerance for all religions, freedom for individuals, and an elected parliamentary government. Radicals demanded that governments be based on the majority and supported women’s voting rights. Conservatives initially opposed change but later accepted gradual reforms that respected traditions.
What were the main features of industrial society and social change in nineteenth-century Europe?
Answer: The Industrial Revolution brought new cities, factories, and railways. Men, women, and children worked long hours for low wages. Unemployment and poor housing were common. Liberals and radicals sought solutions to these issues and promoted education and health for all citizens.
Discuss the socialist ideas that emerged in Europe by the mid-nineteenth century.
Answer: Socialists opposed private property and wanted collective ownership to ensure equality. Robert Owen promoted cooperatives, while Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels argued that workers must overthrow capitalism to form a communist society where property was socially owned.
Describe the condition of peasants and workers in Russia before 1917.
Answer: Around 85% of Russians were agriculturists. Peasants faced exploitation by nobles and often demanded land redistribution. Factory workers worked long hours with poor wages and living conditions. Strikes and protests were common in industrial areas like St. Petersburg and Moscow.
What were the main causes of the 1905 Revolution in Russia?
Answer: Low wages, rising prices, and poor working conditions led to protests. When peaceful demonstrators led by Father Gapon were fired upon by Tsarist troops on Bloody Sunday, it sparked widespread strikes and unrest demanding better rights and a constitution.
Describe the February Revolution of 1917 in Petrograd.
Answer: Due to food shortages and harsh winters, workers and women led strikes. On 22 February, factory lockouts led to mass protests. Soldiers eventually mutinied, and the Tsar was forced to abdicate on 2 March 1917. A Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet were formed.
What were the major events and results of the October Revolution of 1917?
Answer: The Bolsheviks, led by Lenin and Trotsky, overthrew the Provisional Government on 24 October. The Winter Palace was seized, and by December, the Bolsheviks controlled major cities. This revolution established a socialist government in Russia.
What changes did the Bolsheviks introduce after the October Revolution?
Answer: The Bolsheviks nationalised banks and industries, declared land social property, and abolished aristocratic titles. The party was renamed the Communist Party, censorship increased, and Russia became a one-party state under their control.
Explain Stalin’s collectivisation policy and its impact.
Answer: Stalin introduced collectivisation in 1929 to increase grain production and control peasants. Land and tools were taken for collective farms (kolkhoz). Many peasants resisted, leading to destruction of livestock and famine. Millions died between 1930 and 1933.
What was the global influence of the Russian Revolution and the USSR?
Answer: The Russian Revolution inspired communist movements worldwide, including India. The USSR became a major power and promoted socialism globally. However, by the 1950s, it was criticised for repression and lack of freedom, though socialist ideals continued to influence many nations.
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