SOCIAL SCIENCE

CLASS IX
CHAPTER – SOCIALISM IN EUROPE AND THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Q1. State any three main features of each of the following:

a. Liberals- Liberals wanted a nation which tolerated all religions. They 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.
b. Radicals- radicals wanted a nation in which government was based on the majority of a country’s
population. Many supported women’s suffragette movements. Unlike liberals, they opposed the privileges
of great landowners and wealthy factory owners. They were not against the existence of private property
but disliked concentration of property in the hands of a few
c. Conservatives-Conservatives were opposed to radicals and liberals.Earlier, in the eighteenth
century, conservatives had been generally opposed to the idea of change. By the nineteenth century, they
accepted that some change was inevitable but believed that the past had to be respected and change had
to be brought about through a slow process.

Q2. What was the basic idea behind Socialism?

1. Socialists were against private property, and saw it as the root of all social ills of the time.
2. They believed, the Individuals owned the property that gave employment but the propertied were
concerned only with personal gain and not with the welfare of those who made the property productive.
3. So, if society as a whole rather than single individuals-controlled property, more attention would
bepaid to collective social interests. Socialists wanted this change and campaigned for it.

Q3. Explain Karl Marx’s theory of Socialism.

1. Karl Marx argued that industrial society was ‘capitalist’. Capitalists owned the capital invested in
factories, and the profit of capitalists was produced by workers.
2. The conditions of workers could not improve as long as this profit was accumulated by private
capitalists. Workers had to overthrow capitalism and the rule of private property.
3. Marx believed that to free themselves from capitalist exploitation, workers had to construct a
radically socialist society where all property was socially controlled. This would be a communist society.
4. He was convinced that workers would triumph in their conflict with capitalists. A communist society
was the natural society of the future.

Q4. Differentiate between the policies of the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.
1. The Socialist Revolutionary Party formed in Russia in 1900 was divided over the strategy of
organisation.

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2. Vladimir Lenin felt that peasants were not one united group. Some were poor and others rich,
some worked as labourers while others were capitalists who employed workers. Given this ‘differentiation’
within them, they could not all be part of a socialist movement.

3. Lenin (who led the Bolshevik group) thought that in a repressive society like Tsarist Russia the party
should be disciplined and should control the number and quality of its members.

4. Others (Mensheviks) thought that the party should be open to all (as in Germany)

Q5. Describe the social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905.

The Social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905 was backward:

a) Social Conditions: 85% of Russia's population was agriculturist. The industries were there, but rarely
they were privately owned. Workers were divided on the basis of their occupation. They mainly
migrated to cities for employment in factories. The peasant community was deeply religious but did
not care much about the nobility. They believed that land must be divided amongst themselves.

b) Economic Condition: Russia was going through a bad period economically. Prices of essential good
rise while real wages decreased by 20% leading to the famous St. Petersburg strike. This strike
started a series of events that are together known as the 1905 Revolution. During this revolution,
there were strikes all over the country, universities closed down, and various professionals and
workers established the Union of Unions, demanding the establishment of a constituent assembly.

c) Political Condition: Political parties were illegal before 1914. The Russian Social Democratic Workers
Party was founded in 1898 by socialists who respected Marx’s ideas. In 1903, this party was divided
into two groups - Mensheviks and Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks, who were in majority, were led by
Lenin who is regarded as the greatest thinker on socialism after Marx.

Q6. What do you know about ‘Bloody Sunday’? How did people react to it? Or What were the reasons
behind Revolution of 1905? What was its outcome?

Bloody Sunday
1. In year 1904, the Prices of essential goods rose so quickly that real wages declined by 20 per cent.
The membership of workers’ associations rose dramatically.

2. When four members of the Assembly of Russian Workers were dismissed at the Putilov Iron Works,
there was a call for industrial action. Over the next few days over 110,000 workers in St Petersburg went on
strike demanding a reduction in the working day to eight hours, an increase in wages and improvement in
working conditions.

3. When the procession of workers led by Father Gapon reached the Winter Palace, it was attacked by
the police and the Cossacks. Over 100 workers were killed and about 300 wounded. The incident, known as
Bloody Sunday, started a series of events that became known as the 1905 Revolution.

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Reaction of the people: Strikes took place all over the country and universities closed down when student
bodies staged walkouts, complaining about the lack of civil liberties. Lawyers, doctors, engineers and other
middle-class workers established the Union of Unions and demanded a constituent assembly.

Reasons Behind the 1905 Revolution

1. Economic Hardship: In 1904, rising prices and a 20% decline in real wages caused severe economic
distress among workers, fuelling discontent.
2. Workers’ Associations: Workers formed associations like the Assembly of Russian Workers in 1904.
The dismissal of four members from the Putilov Iron Works triggered strikes involving over 110,000
workers in St. Petersburg.
3. Political and Civil Liberties: Demands for civil liberties and political reforms grew. Middle-class
professionals formed the Union of Unions, calling for a constituent assembly and greater political
freedoms.

Outcome of the 1905 Revolution

1. Concessions and Creation of the Duma: The Tsar allowed the creation of an elected consultative
Parliament, the Duma, as a response to the unrest. However, he maintained significant power.
2. Repression and Political Control: The Tsar quickly suppressed opposition, dismissing the first Duma
within 75 days and the second Duma within three months. He altered voting laws to ensure a
conservative third Duma, excluding liberals and revolutionaries.
3. Long-Term Impact: The 1905 Revolution didn't overthrow the Tsar, but it highlighted the
widespread desire for change. It paved the way for the Russian Revolution of 1917, which eventually
ended Tsarist autocracy

Q7. What were the political changes introduced by the Tsar after 1905 revolution?
1. After 1905 Revolution, the Tsar allowed the creation of an elected consultative Parliament or Duma.
2. After 1905, most committees and unions worked unofficially, since they were declared illegal.
3. Severe restrictions were placed on political activity. The Tsar dismissed the first Duma within 75
days and the re-elected second Duma within three months.
4. He changed the voting laws and packed the third Duma with conservative politicians. Liberals and
revolutionaries were kept out.

Q8. How did the First World War on the ‘eastern front’ of Europe differed from that on the ‘western
front’?
1. During the First World War, in the west front, the armies fought from trenches
stretched along eastern France.

2. In the east, armies moved a good deal and fought battles leaving large casualties.
Defeats were shocking and demoralizing. Russia’s armies lost badly in Germany and
Austria between 1914 and 1916. There were over 7 million casualties by 1917.

Q9. What was the ‘April Thesis’? Why did some people oppose it?

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The 'April Theses' were a set of directives issued by Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin upon his return to
Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) in April 1917. These theses outlined Lenin's vision for the future of Russia,
aiming to steer the country towards a socialist revolution. The key points of the April Theses were:
1. End to the War: Lenin called for an immediate cessation of Russia's involvement in World War I,
arguing that the war served imperialist interests and caused immense suffering to the Russian
people.
2. Transfer of Land to Peasants: He proposed the confiscation of all landed estates and their
redistribution to peasants. This was aimed at addressing the agrarian issue and gaining support from
the rural population.
3. Nationalization of Banks: Lenin demanded the nationalization of all banks, advocating for their
consolidation under a central authority controlled by the proletariat.
4. Power to the Soviets: He insisted that all power should be transferred to the soviets (workers'
councils), which were seen as more democratic and representative of the workers and soldiers than
the existing Provisional Government.
5. Renaming the Party: Lenin suggested that the Bolshevik Party should rename itself the Communist
Party to reflect its commitment to international socialism and distinguish it from other socialist
factions.

Several reasons accounted for the initial opposition to the April Theses:
1. Timing: Many Bolsheviks believed Russia wasn't ready for a socialist revolution and needed to go
through a bourgeois-democratic phase first.
2. Support for the Provisional Government: Some thought it was important to support the Provisional
Government to stabilize the country and continue fighting in World War I.
3. Radicalism: Lenin's proposals were seen as too extreme and potentially alienating to the broader
socialist and working-class movements.
4. Political Strategy: There was concern that Lenin's approach might isolate the Bolsheviks from other
socialist groups, weakening the overall movement.
5. Fear of Repression: Some feared that adopting Lenin's radical proposals could provoke a crackdown
from the Provisional Government and the military, risking the destruction of the Bolshevik Party.

Q10. What developments led to Russia becoming a one-party state?

1. After the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist
Party (Bolshevik). In November 1917, the Bolsheviks conducted the elections to the Constituent Assembly,
but they failed to gain majority support.

2. In January 1918, the Assembly rejected Bolshevik measures and Lenin dismissed the Assembly. He
thought the All Russian Congress of Soviets was more democratic than an assembly elected in uncertain
conditions.

3. In the years that followed, the Bolsheviks became the only party to participate in the elections to
the All Russian Congress of Soviets, which became the Parliament of the country. Russia became a one-
party state.

Q11. Describe the impact of First World War on industries in Russia?

1. The First World War had a severe impact on industry. Russia’s own industries were few in number
and the country was cut off from other suppliers of industrial goods by German control of the Baltic Sea.
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2. Industrial equipment disintegrated more rapidly in Russia than elsewhere in Europe.
3. By 1916, railway lines began to break down.
4. Able-bodied men were called up to the war. As a result, there were labour shortages and small
workshops producing essentials were shut down. Large supplies of grain were sent to feed the army. For
the people in the cities, bread and flour became scarce. By the winter of 1916, riots at bread shops were
common.

Q12. Trace the events that led to February Revolution in Petrograd.

1. 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.
2. Parliamentarians wishing to preserve elected government were opposed to the Tsar’s desire to
dissolve the Duma.
3. On 22 February, a lockout took place at a factory on the right bank of river Neva. The next day,
workers in fifty factories called a strike in sympathy. Demonstrating workers crossed from the factory
quarters to the centre of the capital. The government imposed a curfew.

4. Demonstrators dispersed by the evening, but they came back on the 24th and 25th. The
government called out the cavalry and police to keep an eye on them. On Sunday, 25 February, the
government suspended the Duma. Politicians spoke out against the measure.

5. Demonstrators returned in force to the streets of the left bank on the 26th. On the 27th, the
Police Headquarters were ransacked. The streets thronged with people raising slogans about bread,
wages, better hours and democracy.

6. The government tried to control the situation and called out the cavalry once again. 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. The protestors formed the Petrograd
Soviet and forced the Tsar to abdicate. This came to be called as February Revolution of 1917. A
constituent assembly was elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage.

Q13. Describe the main events of the October Revolution in Russia.

1. After February Revolution, the conflict between the Provisional Government and the Bolsheviks
grew, Lenin feared the Provisional Government would set up a dictatorship.

2. In September, he began discussions for an uprising against the government. Bolshevik supporters in
the army, soviets and factories were brought together.On 16 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 Soviet under Leon Trotskii to organise the seizure.

3. The uprising began on 24 October. At dawn, military men loyal to the government seized the
buildings of two Bolshevik newspapers. Pro-government troops were sent to take over telephone and
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 telegraph offices and protect the Winter Palace.
4. In a swift response, the Military Revolutionary Committee ordered its supporters to seize
government offices and arrest ministers. Late in the day, the ship Aurora shelled the Winter Palace. Other
vessels sailed down the Neva and took over various military points. By nightfall, the city was under the
committee’s control and the ministers had surrendered. By December, the Bolsheviks controlled the
Moscow-Petrograd area. This was called the October Revolution of 1917.
Q14. List any three major changes brought about by the Bolsheviks immediately after the October
Revolution.
1. The Bolsheviks were totally opposed to private property. Most industry and banks were
nationalized in November 1917. This meant that the government took over ownership and management.
2. Land was declared social property and peasants were allowed to seize the land of the nobility. In
cities, Bolsheviks enforced the partition of large houses according to family requirements.
3. They banned the use of the old titles of aristocracy. To assert the change, new uniforms were
designed for the army and officials, following a clothing competition organised in 1918 – when the Soviet
hat (budeonovka) was chosen.

Q15. What were the features of ‘Centralized Planning’ (The Five-Year Plans) introduced by Bolsheviks?
Features:
1. A process of centralised planning was introduced. Officials assessed how the economy could work
and set targets for a five-year period. On this basis they made the Five-Year Plans.
2. The government fixed all prices to promote industrial growth during the first two ‘Plans’ (1927-1932
and 1933-1938).
3. An extended schooling system developed, and arrangements were made for factory workers and
peasants to enter universities. Crèches were established in factories for the children of women workers.
4. Cheap public health care was provided. Model living quarters were set up for workers.
Outcome/ Impact:
1. Centralised planning led to economic growth. Industrial production increased (by 100 per cent in
the case of oil, coal and steel). New factory cities came into being.
2. Rapid construction led to poor working conditions. Workers lived hard lives and the result was 550
stoppages of work in the first year alone.

Q16. Discuss Stalin’s collectivisation programme. What was its outcome?

1. By 1927-28, the towns in Soviet Russia were facing an acute problem of grain supplies. It was argued
that grain shortages were partly due to the small size of holdings. After 1917, land had been given over
to peasants. These small-sized peasant farms could not be modernised.
2. 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. From 1929,
the Party forced all peasants to cultivate in collective farms (kolkhoz). The bulk of land and implements
were transferred to the ownership of collective farms. Peasants worked on the land, and the kolkhoz
profit was shared. This came to be called as ‘Stalin’s collectivisation programme’.
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Outcome:
1. Between 1929 and 1931, the number of cattle fell by one-third.
2. Those who resisted collectivization were severely punished. Many were deported and exiled.
3. As they resisted collectivization, peasants argued that they were not rich and they were not against
socialism. They merely did not want to work in collective farms for a variety of reasons.