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SOCIALISM IN EUROPE AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

1. Who were the liberals, radicals and conservatives?

They were:
i. Liberals: The wanted a nation which tolerated all religions. The
favored represented parliamentary government with safeguard of
individual rights and independent judiciary. They were not democrats
as they favored right to vote for men of property and not universal
adult franchise.

ii. Radicals: They also favored government based on majority of

country’s population. They supported women suffragette movements
and opposed all privileges of great land owners and wealthy factory
owners. They were not against private property but disliked
concentration of property in few hands.

iii. Conservatives: They opposed radicals and liberals. They accepted that
some change was inevitable but believed that the past had to be
respected. They felt change has to be brought by slow process.

2. What was the influence of industrialization on social change?

OR
‘Growth of industrial society resulted in social change’. Justify the statement.
OR
How was industrialization responsible for the changes in society?

Industrialization brought men, women and children to factories. Unemployment,

housing and sanitation were the major problems of the growing towns:
i. Many liberals and radicals owned private property. They wanted a
workforce that was healthy and educated. This resulted in planning the
better ways for the workforce of the industrial period.
ii. The liberals and radicals opposed all privileges to the aristocracy and
believed in the value of individual efforts, labor and enterprise. This
brought about a total new concept in the society.
iii. Many workers rallied behind the liberals and radicals for changes in the
industrial set up. These changes were brought about to accommodate the
various demands of the worker class.
iv. Some nationalists, liberals and radicals wanted revolutions to end the
despotic rules. Nationalists wanted to stage the revolutions to create a
nation.

3. Trace the growth of socialism in Europe.

OR
How was socialism practiced in its early stages?
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In the mid-nineteenth century Europe, socialism was a well-known body of ideas

that attracted widespread attention:

i. Socialists were against private property and saw it as the root of all social
ills. They wanted the society as a whole to control the property for the
betterment of the society as whole rather then an individual.
ii. Socialists like Robert Owens believed in the concept of cooperatives. He
sought to build a community cooperative for the betterment of the
workers.
iii. Socialists like Louis Blanc in France wanted the government to encourage
cooperatives and replace capitalist enterprises. These cooperatives were to
divide the profits according to the work done by the members.
iv. Karl Marx was a German socialist and argued that capitalism will never let
resolve any worker issue. He was strongly supported by Fredrick Engels.
Marx wanted the workers to resolve their issues have to overthrow
capitalism and establish control over property.

4. Name the early socialists in Europe.

They included:
i. Robert Owens.
ii. Louis Blanc.
iii. Karl Marx.
iv. Fredrick Engels.

5. Name the organization formed by the socialists of Europe in 1870.

They formed the Second International.

6. What was the name of the political party formed in Britain by the socialists and
the trade unionists?

They formed the Labor Party in Britain.

7. Name the political party supported by the German socialists.

They supported the Social Democratic Party (SPD)

8. Name the ruler and the territories of the Russian Empire.

Russia was ruled by Czar Nicholas II who belonged to the Romanov Dynasty.
The various territories that comprised the Russian Empire were:
i. Finland, Latvia, Lithuania
ii. Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.
iii. Central Asian states like Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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9. How was the economy and society of Russia different from the rest of Europe?
OR
Examine the Russian society and its economy under the rule of the Czar.

The economy and society of the Russians had remarkable difference from the rest
of Europe. Russian system had yet not seen the social change as observed in the
rest of Europe.

i. The vast majority of Russian people were agriculturalists. 85% of the

Russian empire population earned living from agriculture, compared to
40% in France and 50% in Germany.
ii. Russian peasants were different from the other European peasants in
another way, they pooled their lands together periodically and their
commune (mir) divided it according to the needs of the individual
families.
iii. Industry was scanty in Russia and was mostly concentrated in St
Petersburg and Moscow. Craftsmen undertook production unlike in
Europe where workers trained in the field were replacing the craftsmen.
The technology and tools used by the Russians were far more primitive
compared to the more advanced and developed technology of the rest of
Europe.
iv. Nobles in Russia got their power through their services to the Czar and not
through local popularity. Unlike France the where peasants respected the
nobles and fought for them, in Russia they wanted to grab their lands, in
1905 landlords were murdered on large scale all over Russia.

10. Examine the main features of the Russian society under the Czar.

At the beginning of the 20th century the Russian society had peculiar features:

i. 85% of Russians were earning their livelihood from agriculture and the
cultivator produced for the markets as well as for their own needs and
Russia was a major exporter of grain.
ii. Industry was located at St Petersburg and Moscow. Craftsmen
undertook much of the production. Large factories also existed. Much
of the Russian industry was based on foreign investment, with the
expansion of railway network industry developed.
iii. Industry was private property, though large industries were monitored
by the government. Workers were to work for long hours and had no
proper accommodation.
iv. Metal workers considered themselves as superior to other workers as
their trade needs more training and skill. Division among workers was
also shown in dress and manners. Workers did unite to strike work.

11. Name the political party formed in Russia in 1898.

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The Russian Social Democratic Workers Party was founded in 1898 by socialists
who respected Marx’s ideas.

12. Name the two groups in which The Russian Social Democratic Workers Party
was divided into.

The Russian Social Democratic

Workers Party

Bolshevik Group led by Lenin. He wanted Menshevik Group thought that the party
the party to be disciplined and control the should be open to all (as in Germany)
number and quality of its members

13. Describe the main differences between Lenin and the Socialist Revolutionary
Party.

There were major differences between Lenin and the socialist Revolutionary Party
formed in 1900:
i. The Revolutionary Party struggled for peasants rights and demanded
that land belonging to nobles be transferred to peasants.
ii. Lenin felt that the peasants were not equal, some were poor and others
rich. Some worked as laborers and other were capitalist who employed
workers. He felt that this difference did not let them all be part of the
socialist movement.

14. Who were the jadidists?

They were the Muslim reformers within the Russian Empire. They wanted
modernized Islam to lead their societies. They supported the social democrats and
socialist revolutionaries along with liberals to establish the supremacy of
parliament.

15. What were the social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905?

The Russian empire was in a very unstable state during this time. The entire
empire was facing uprisings from workers and peasants.
i. The liberals, social democrats, socialist revolutionaries and the
jadidists were supporting the view of establishing parliament control
and making the Czar subject to the elected parliament. Many
nationalist like in Poland also supported this view.
ii. Prices of essential goods rose so quickly that real wages declined by
20%. The striking workers demanded a restriction in working day,
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increase in wages and improvement in working conditions. People

demanded that the state money should be used for the betterment of
the people.
iii. The procession of workers led by Father Gapon in 1905 was fired
upon by the Cossacks and police, when they reached the winter palace
to forward their demands. Many unions of workers and peasants and
also of the lawyers, doctors, engineers and the middle class workers
demanded a constituent assembly.
iv. As a result of the 1905 revolution the Czar allowed the creation of a
elected consultative parliament or Duma. For a brief period many trade
unions and factory committees existed.

16. How did the First World War affect the Russian Empire?
OR
Why was the First World War termed as the major reason for the Russian
Revolution of 1917?

The First World War started in 1914, Russia joined France and Britain against
Germany, Austria and Turkey. This had very strong impact on the Russian empire:
i. The Czar entered the War without consulting the Duma. High anti German
feelings existed in Russia, above all the Czarina had German origins and
the poor advisers made the autocracy unpopular.
ii. Russians suffered huge loses in Germany and Austria. These defeats were
shocking and demoralizing. There were over 7 million causalities by 1917.
on retreat the Russian forces destroyed crops and buildings to prevent the
enemy from using them, this led to over 3 million refugees in Russia. The
soldiers refused to fight this War.
iii. Russian industry crumpled in this war. Russian industrial set up
disintegrated in this war more quickly then in any other part of Europe.
Russian industrial supplies were cut off by the German domination of the
Baltic Sea.
iv. Able bodied men were called up to the War. This led to labor shortages
and many small workshops producing essentials were shut down. Large
amount of grains were sent to feed the army, in cities bread and flour
became scarce.

17. What was the April thesis of Lenin?

OR
Describe the four fold demand of Lenin.

In April 1917, the Bolshevik leader Lenin returned to Russia from exile. He
opposed the War of 1914 and felt the time for the soviets to take power has come.
He gave three demands called as the ‘April Thesis’ of Lenin:
i. He declared that the War will be brought to close, Russia will withdraw
from the First World War and peace will be concluded.
ii. He declared that the land to be transferred to the peasants.
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iii. He also declared the nationalization of the Banks.

iv. A later declaration was added to the already initial three declaration that
wanted the equal status to all non Russian nationalities.

18. Why did the Tsarist autocracy collapsed in 1917?

OR
What were the major causes of the Russian revolution of 1917?

The Causes of the Russian Revolution can be divided into social, economic,
military and political. All these factors to the large affected the situation that led
to the collapse of the Czars autocracy:
i. The Russian society was highly divided into the elite royals and the
ordinary working class. This division was observed when in 1917 the
winter palace and other fashionable areas on the left bank of river Neva
were attacked. The workers demanded better wages, better working and
living conditions and bread to survive. This feeling of uprising led to the
downfall of the autocracy.
ii. Economically the royalty dominated all the fields of economy. The
workers had no say in the economy. They were left at the mercy of the
industry owners who were mostly foreigners. Factory strikes were
organized and the 22 February 1917 factory lock out at Petrograd was
significant in the worker defiance that led to the downfall the Czarist
regime.
iii. Military in the later stage joined the revolutionaries. Most of the Czars
forces were fighting the First World War disabling him from containing
the revolutionaries. At many places the Russian cavalry refused to fire on
the revolutionaries. In October 1917 the battle ship Aurora shelled the
winter palace the seat of the Kerensky government. This mutiny gave a
deadly blow to the Russian autocracy.
iv. On 25 February 1917 the Czar dismissed the Duma, politicians openly
spoke against it. The military commander’s adivised the Czar to abdicate,
as a result the Czar abdicated on March 2 1917. Soviet leaders and Duma
leaders formed a provisional government and Russia’s future was to be
decided by the constituent assembly elected on the basis of the universal
adult franchise.

19. What changes were brought by the Bolshevik’s after the October Revolution of
1917?
OR
What were the effects of the Russian Revolution on Russia?

Many Changes were brought by the Bolshevik’s after 1917 revolution:

i. Most of the industry and banks were nationalized. Lands were declared
social property and the peasants were permitted to seize the lands of the
nobility. All royal titles were abolished and the new uniforms were
designed for the army and officials.
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ii. The Bolshevik Party was renamed as the Russian Communist Party and
the Bolshevik conducted elections to the constituent assembly. Lenin later
dismissed this assembly when it rejected the Bolshevik measures. Russia
was renamed as USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) or Soviet
Union.
iii. Despite opposition Lenin concluded peace in March 1918 with Germany.
The Bolshevik became the only party to participate in the elections to the
All Russian Congress of Soviets, which became the parliament of Russia.
iv. The secret police called CHEKA first and later OGPU and NKVD was
formed it punished those who criticized the Bolshevik. Many young
writers and artists rallied to the party resulting in new experiments in the
arts and architecture.

20. Trace the growth of Civil War in Russia after the 1917 revolution.

Many factors led to the civil war in Russia after the revolution of 1917.
i. Non-Bolshevik socialist, liberals and supporters of autocracy opposed
the Bolsheviks and moved to south Russia to fight them.
ii. They were called as whites and were backed by the French, American,
British and Japanese troops – these were all foreign powers that were
worried of the rise of socialism in Russia
iii. By 1920 the Bolshevik controlled most of the former Russian empire.
They succeeded due to the cooperation of the non-Russian
nationalities and Muslim jadidists.
iv. Bolshevik colonists brutally massacred local nationalist in Khiva in
Central Asia in the name of defending socialism, many supporters of
the Bolshevik were confused over what the Bolshevik government
represented.

21. What were the effects of Russian revolution of 1917 on world/

OR
‘The Russian revolution had a global influence’. Describe.

Russian revolution influenced the world in many ways:

i. The Bolshevik encouraged the formation of communist parties around the
world like the communist party of Great Britain. The Bolshevik also
formed the Comintern (Communist international) – it was a body that had
all the communist parties in the world affiliated to it.
ii. The Bolshevik encouraged the people of the colonies to follow their
example and stage revolutions to ouster colonial powers. This is the reason
the Soviets were called as the friends of the people. This also led to the
propagation of socialism in the colonies. By the start of the Second World
War the USSR had given socialism a global face.
iii. The five year economic planning showed results as the economy of USSR
improved. Its industry and agriculture showed continuous growth and
made USSR a major power in Europe. The Soviet army was also
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modernized and became a strong military power in Europe. Many

countries around the world including India copied this system to
strengthen their economies.
iv. As a result of the revolution the USSR raised as the major power of the
world only second to USA. In the post Second World War world the
USSR was an only power to balance the power of USA in the west. The
Soviet help to the people of colonies led to freedom of many countries in
the 1950-1970 eras.

22. Describe Stalin’s collectivization program.

Shortage of food grain was the immediate cause of worry for the communist
government. Stalin who headed USSR after the death of Lenin introduced firm
emergency measures.
i. Stalin believed that rich peasants and traders in the countryside were
holding stocks in the hope of higher prices. He wanted to confiscate
these supplies.
ii. In 1928, Party members toured the grain producing areas supervising
enforced grain collection and raiding Kulaks – the name for well to do
peasants. It was felt necessary to collectivize farms as small land
holdings were resulting in poor grain production.
iii. To develop modern farms and run them on industrial lines it was felt
necessary to eliminate kulaks, take away land from peasants and
establish state-controlled large farms. This was termed as Stalin’s
collectivization program. From 1929 onwards the party forced all
peasants to cultivate in collective farms (kolkhoz- called in Russian).
The bulk of land and implements were transferred to the ownership of
collective farms.
iv. Any one who resisted collectivization was severely punished, many
were deported and exiled. Many peasants argued that they were not
rich and not against socialism. Stalin permitted some independent
cultivation but treated them very unsympathetically.

DASVATANIA!!
EXERCISE QUESTIONS
ALL QUESTIONS GIVEN AT THE END OF THE LESSON

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WRITING ANSWERS

 Write these questions and answers in your notes copy.

 Leave first two pages for index.
 Draw a line in pencil at the end of each answer.
 Mention the date of the task given.
 Use only blue ball pen or ink pen. Use no other color ink for writing
notes or drawing lines.
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