Class IX – Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

Ans. Aristocracy and Church controlled economic and social power in the society.

Ans. Liberals wanted a nation which tolerated all religions.

Ans. (i) Britain – Church of England

(ii) Austria and Spain – Catholic Church

Ans. Radicals wanted a nation in which government was based on the majority of a country’s population.

Ans. A movement to give women the right to vote.

Ans. The socialists were against private property, and saw it as the root of all social ills of the time.

Ans. Robert Owen was a utopian socialist and leading manufacturer and he sought to build a cooperative community called New Harmony in Indiana (USA)

Ans. Socialist and trade unionists formed Labour Party in Britain in 1905

Ans. Tsar Nicholas II

Ans. (i) Their working hours were 10 to 12 hours in factories.

(ii) Poor working conditions in factories.

Ans. Vladimir Lenin believed that the party should be disciplined and should control the number and quality of its members.

Ans. Jadidists were Muslim reformers within the Russian empire.

Ans. These were well to do peasants of Soviet Union.

Ans. Abdication of throne by Tsar Nicholas and establishment of Provisional Government.

Ans. April Theses was introduced by Lenin. It had the following features:

(i) War to be brought to close

(ii) Land be transferred to the peasants

(iii) Banks be nationalized

Ans. 24 October, 1917

Ans. Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik)

Ans. In Russia all non-Russian nationalities were given political autonomy in the Soviet Union.

Ans. Nomadism means lifestyle of those who move from area to area to earn their living.

Ans. A process of centralized planning through five years’ plans was introduced.

Ans. (i) Stalin introduced collectivization programme

(ii) All peasants were forced to cultivate in collective farms (Kolkhoz)

Ans. It led to one of the most devastating famines in Soviet history in which over four million people died.

Ans. (i) In many countries, Communist Parties were formed e.g., Communist Party of Great Britain.

(ii) Bolshevik founded Comintern – (An international union of pro-Bolshevik socialist parties)

(i) Denial of essential freedoms to the people.

(ii) Repressive policies for carrying out developmental projects such as collectivization programme.

Ans. Utopian Socialists believed in cooperative community.

Ans. Second International was a socialist international body.

Ans. During the Czarist regime, the industries were owned by privately by the industrialists.

Ans. During the rule of Czar, nobility got its power from the Tsar.

Ans. Bolsheviks believed that workers will be able to organize revolution against absolutism in Russia.

Ans. The Russian Revolution of 1905 established Duma in Russia.

Ans. During the First World War, the Russian army was defeated by Austria and Germany.

Ans. Tsar abdicated his throne during the February Revolution of 1917.

Ans. Collectivisation Programme aimed at introducing cultivation by the peasants in collective farms.

Ans. Bolsheviks withdrew from the First World War by signing peace treaty with Germany.

Ans. The main features of the views of liberals about the transformation of society were as mentioned below:

(i) A nation with policy of religious toleration.

(ii) Against the uncontrolled powers of dynastic rulers

(iii) In favour of rights of the individuals against the government.

(iv) In favour of representative elected parliamentary government and independent judiciary for the interpretation of laws.

(v) Not in favour of universal adult franchise but only men of property to have right to vote. Not in favour of right to vote for women too.

Ans. (i) Industrialisation enabled men, women and children to work in factories.

(ii) The condition of workers was poor due to low wages, long hours of work and unemployment during times of low demand for industrial goods.

(iii) There were problems of housing and sanitation in the cities due to rapid growth of cities.

(iv) Industries were private property of the individuals.

Ans. The main features of early socialists are:

(i) Private Property: Socialists were against private property. They considered it as the root of all social ills because the capitalists or owners of property were concerned with personal gain only. They did not care about the welfare of the workers. They, therefore, wanted control of society over the property so that it might be used for the benefit of the society.

(ii) Basis of socialist society: (a) Cooperatives: Some socialists such as Robert Owen, a leading English manufacturer, sought to build a cooperative community called New Harmony in Indiana (USA)

(b) Governments to encourage cooperatives: Socialists like Louis Blane wanted the governments to encourage cooperatives and replace capitalist enterprises.

(c) Nature of cooperatives: The cooperatives were to be association of people who produced goods together and divided the profits according to the work done by members.

Ans. (i) Marx argued that industrial society was ‘capitalist society’.

(ii) Capitalists owned the capital investment in factories and the profit of capitalists was produced by workers.

(iii) The condition of workers could not improve as long as this profit was accumulated by private capitalists. 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. He was convinced that workers would triumph in their conflict with capitalists. A communist society was the natural society of the future.

Ans. (a) (i) Socialist Revolutionary Party was formed in 1900.

(ii) They were in favour of peasants’ rights.

(iii) they demanded that land belonging to the nobles be transferred to peasants.

(b) (i) Socialists Democrats disagreed with Socialist Revolutionaries about peasants.

(ii) Lenin felt that peasants were not one united group because there were poor, rich, labourers and capitalists among them. So they could not all be the part of a socialist movement.

Ans. (i) Peasants cultivated most of the land.

(ii) The nobility, the crown and the Orthodox church owned large properties.

(iii) Peasants had no respect for nobility. In Russia peasants wanted the lands of the nobles to be given to them. Frequently they refused to pay rent and even murdered landlords.

(iv) Russian peasants were different from other Europian peasants in another way. They pooled their land together periodically and their commune divided it according to the needs of individual families.

Ans. Consequences of the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia are as mentioned below:

(i) Tsar abdicated on 2 March

(ii) Soviet leaders and Duma leaders formed a provisional government to run the country.

(iii) It was agreed that Russia’s future would be decided by a constituent assembly, elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage.

(iv) The provisional government removed restrictions on public meetings and associations.

(v) Soviets, like the Petrograd Soviet, were set up everywhere, though no common system of election was followed.