QA Russia

Chapter 2

Socialism and Russian Revolution

Answer the following questions

Q. Describe the views of radicals.

Answer:

The group who wanted to bring about immediate social change in Russia was radicals.

The views of radicals are as follows:

• They wanted a government on the majority of country’s population.

• They were against private properties.

* Many supported suffragette movement

Q. Who were liberals? What were their political and social views?

Answer:

Liberals : One of the groups which looked to change society were the liberals.

Political and Social Views of Liberals :

• Liberals wanted a nation which tolerated all religions.

• Liberals also opposed the uncontrolled power of dynastic rulers. They wanted to safeguard the rights of individuals against governments.

• They argued for a representative, elected parliamentary government, subject to laws interpreted by a well-trained judiciary that was independent of rulers and officials.

• However, they were not ‘democrats’. They did not believe in universal adult franchise, that is, the right of every citizen to vote. They felt men of property mainly should have the vote.

• They also did not want the vote for women.

Q. Who were the views of conservatives?

Answer

1. Conservative opposed to the radicals and liberals.

2. They had been generally opposed to the idea of change before 18th century.

3. By the 19th century the accepted that some change was invitable but believed that the past had to be respected and change here to be brought about through a slow process.

Q. Explain the views of Karl Marx on capitalism.

Answer:

• Marx was of the opinion that an industrial society was a ‘capitalist’ society.

• Capitalists earn profits because of workers.

• To increase his profits the capitalist uses two methods i.e., either by reducing wages or increasing the working hours.

• Marx believed that to free themselves from the capitalists, workers had to construct a radically socialist society where all the properties were socially controlled.

Q. Explain any three views of the socialists about private property.

Answer:

Views of socialists about private property are :

• They were against private property.

• They saw it as the root of all social ills.

• Individuals who owned the property were concerned about personal gain only.

• Those who make property productive are ignored by the owners of the property.

Q Who ruled Russia in 1914? How did he manage his empire? Explain.

Answer:

Tsar Nicholas II was ruling over Russia, during the revolution.

• He was an autocrat.

• Though he created ‘Duma’ after the Revolution, but never cared for it.

• He was carrying the war against the wishes of the people.

• He worked under a monk called Rasputin.

Q Write a note on the Bloody Sunday incident.

Answer:

• The year 1904 was a particularly bad one for Russian workers. Prices of essential goods rose so quickly that the real wages declined by 20%.

• When four members of the Assembly of Russian workers were dismissed, the workers became agitated.

• In January 1905, a large number of peaceful workers led by Father Gapon reached the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to present a petition to the Tsar.

• The workers were attacked by the police. Over 100 workers were killed, and about 300 wounded. Since the incident took place on Sunday, it is known as the ‘Bloody Sunday

Consequences: Tsar underpressure from the masses was forced to announce his manifesto which led to the formation of Duma.

Q. Explain the Russian February Revolution 1917.

Answer:

(i) Grim Condition in the Petrograd: In the winter of 1917, conditions in the capital, Petrograd, were grim. In February 1917, food shortages were deeply felt in the workers’ quarters. The winter was very cold. There had been exceptional frost and heavy snow.

(ii) Women Lead the Strike: On 22 February, a lockout took place at a factory. The next day, workers in fifty factories called a strike in sympathy. In many factories, women led the way to strikes. This came to be called the International Women’s Day.

(iii) Violent Incidents: In the next few days the workers tried to persue the government to fulfill their demand but government called out the cavalry. The streets thronged with people raising slogans about bread, wages, better hours and democracy. However, the cavalry refused to fire on- the demonstrators. An officer was shot at the barracks of a regiment and three other regiments mutinied, voting to join the striking workers.

(iv) Formation of Soviet: By that evening, soldiers and striking workers had gathered to form a soviet or council in the same building as the Duma met. This was the Petrograd Soviet.

(v) Formation of Provisional Government: The very next day, a delegation went to see the Tsar. Military commanders advised him to abdicate. He followed their advice and abdicated on 2 March. Soviet leaders and Duma leaders formed a Provisional Government to run the country. Russia’s future would be decided by a constituent assembly, elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage.

Q What is meant by ‘October revolution’?

Answer:

1 It was the revolution which occurred in October 1917. It was led by Petrograd Soviet and the Bolshevik Party under the leadership of Lenin.

2 A military Revolutionary Committee was appointed by the Soviet under Leon Trotskii to organise the seizure.

3 The uprising began on 24th October. Though Prime Minister Kerenskii resisted but the seizure was complete within a day.

4 The Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik).

5 In November 1917, the Bolsheviks conducted the elections to the Constituent Assembly, but they failed to gain majority support. In January 1918, the assembly rejected Bolshevik measures and Lenin dismissed the assembly.

6 In the years that followed, Bolsheviks took full control over the government and Russia became one party state.

Q Who was Lenin? What was his contribution in the Russian Revolution?

Answer:

Lenin was a socialist leader who was against the autocratic rule of Tsar. His contributions in the Russian Revolution were :

(i) April Theses: He put forward three demands i.e., the war be brought to an end, land be transferred to the peasants, and banks be nationalised; These three demands were Lenin’s April Theses. He also argued that the Bolshevik Party rename itself the Communist Party to indicate its new radical aims.

(ii) Provisional Government and Lenin: The Provisional Government which was established after the February Revolution of 1917 was controlled by landlords, industrialists and army officials. So Lenin was against the Provisional Government. He brought together different Soviets and prepared them for the Revolution.

(iii) Overthrow of the Provisional Government: It was under the leadership of Lenin that the Provisional Government was overthrown by the Soviets. On 16th October 1917. Lenin persuaded the Petrograd Soviet and the Bolshevik Party to agree to a socialist seizure of power. A Military Revolutionary Committee was appointed by the Soviets to organise the seizure.

(iv) Communist State: Lenin laid the foundation of Communist State. After the October Revolution the Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist Party.

Q Explain the collectivisation policy of Stalin.

Answer:

1 The collectivisation policy was introduced by Stalin who came to power after the death of Lenin.

2 The main reason was the shortage of grain supplies.

3 It was argued that grain shortage was partly due to the small size of the holding.

4 After 1917, the land had been given over to peasants. These small-sized peasant farms could not be modernised. To develop modern farms, and run them along industrial lines with machinery, it was necessary to eliminate ‘kulaks’, take away land from peasants, and establish state-controlled large farms.

5 From 1929, the government forced all peasants to cultivate in collective farms (kolkhoz). The bulk of land and implements were transferred to the ownership of collective farms. 6 Peasants worked on the land, and the kolkhoz profit was shared.

6 Enraged peasants resisted the authorities, and destroyed their livestock. Between 1929 and 1931, the number of cattle fell by one-third. Those who resisted collectivisation were severely punished. 8 Many were deported and exiled.

7 As they resisted collectivisation, peasants argued that they were not rich, and were not against socialism. They did not want to work in collective farms for a variety of reasons.

8 Stalin’s government allowed some independent cultivation, but treated such cultivators unsympathetically.

9 In spite of collectivisation, production did not increase immediately. In fact, the bad harvest of 1930-1933 led to one of the most devastating famines in Soviet history when over 4 million died.