July 2019 Exams

Question 1

Causes for the 1905 revolution

Answer 1

Most of russia were peasants who were reliant on agriculture.
Agriculture was shit and production levels were low, Tsar failed to see this and it lead to anger amongst the people.
Frequent peasant uprisings.
Low literacy rates.
The bs massacre was the catalyst and a duma was appointed.

Question 2

Differences between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks?

Answer 2

Social democrats and socialist revolutionaries

Bolsheviks were radical and mire direct, they wanted an immediate overthrow of government.

Mensheviks were patient and wanted to build strength before seizing control by strength in numbers

Question 3

What is a soviet and who lead the first one?

Answer 3

A soviet is a council formed by workers as an alternative form of government.

The first soviet was lead by Leon Trotsky.

Question 4

Did Lenin back the Duma? Explain

Answer 4

Lenin did not back the Duma as he feared that the proposals of the Duma would be deemed too radical by Tsar Nicholas and that’s exactly what happened, the Duma had no real power.

Question 5

How did the 1905 revolution help the 1917 revolution(s)

Answer 5

Showed that mass participation of workers/peasants could be a powerful force for change.

Question 6

Causes for February revolution? Outcome of February revolution.

Answer 6

Defeats in ww1

• Ineffective tsarist government
• Inability to crush protests
• Rising food prices and food shortages (effect of ww1)
• anger amongst the people due to ww1
• Long term inequality in russian society
• rising unrest in towns

Question 7

Causes for October Revolution? Outcome of October revolution?

Answer 7

• Continued involvement in war
• Opposition to PG
• Return of revolutionary leaders from exile (Lenin)
• successful Bolshevik propaganda
• growing power of soviets
• Failure to introduce land reforms
• ongoing economic problems
• Continuing inequality and unrest
• desertions from the army.

The PG surrendered to a coup that incurred in the 25th of October. There was no resistance from the PH

Question 8

Did the Bolsheviks succeed in the elections that happened shortly after they overthrowed the PG? Explain.

Answer 8

• They Bolsheviks won less that 25% of the votes.
• The constituent assembly were criticizing the Bolsheviks so Lenin just vetoed the election.
• People weren’t feeling Marxism Leninism, the socialist revolutionaries won more vires because they were advocating for strict Marxism.

Question 9

What is the Vanguard of the Proletariat and what did it become?

Answer 9

• A small group of disciplined leaders that lead the people to revolution.
• Became the dictatorship of the proletariat and lead the Bolsheviks when they were in government.

Question 10

What were the two slogans that won nationwide support for the Bolsheviks?

Answer 10

Power to the Soviets

Peace Bread and Land

Question 11

Give some key features of Marxism Leninism

Answer 11

Lenin believed that a government was necessary where Marx did not.

Russia was a totalitarian state under Lenin.

Question 12

Lenins policies when in government.

Answer 12

• Cheka (secret police) was set up to crush opposition to Lenin.
• there was strict censorship.
• Lenin made peace with Germany at a great cost.
• confiscated land from nobles and redistributed it to peasants
• Made better conditions for workers, made a workers protection act and made eduction free.

Question 13

Why were the Bolsheviks criticised while they were in power?

Answer 13

They imposed a one party dictatorship (made russia totalitarian)
Wanted to introduce a radically new social and economic system.

Question 14

Give some features of War communism

Answer 14

• requisitioned grain and other food supplies from peasants to feed the red army.
• strikes and protests were banned and workers were controlled strictly, Private wealth became government wealth.

Question 15

Give some effects of war communism.

Answer 15

WC had a profound effect on the economy, production fell and there were food shortages.
People blamed the Bolsheviks and opposition against them continued to grow
Farmers stopped farming because their produce would just be requisitioned.
Sailors mutinied and demanded elections but Lenin stopped this.

Question 16

Why did Lenin introduce the NEP, when did this happen, and what did it entail?

Answer 16

In 1921 Lenin itroduced the NEP.
It was quite the shift from war communism but it was needed cuz russia wasn’t in a good spot.

Peasants were allowed to sell their extra produce one they had paid grain tax. Farmer became rich doing this (Kulaks).

State controlled big industries but people could set up their own small businesses, people because wealthy doing this (Nepmen).

Workers were paid bonuses and given incentives to encourage hard work.

Government made trade agreements with western (capitalist) countries.

Nep restored the economy but people were hating because it was quite capitalistic
Poor niggas hated the success of the nepmen and kulaks.

Question 17

When did Russia become the ussr and what did this stand for?

Answer 17

1923. Union of the soviet socialist republics.

Question 18

When did Lenin die and what happened after this?

Answer 18

1924 and just as he predicted, a power stuggle ensued once he died.

Question 19

Explain the power struggle after Lenin died.

Answer 19

The obvious successor was trotsky.

To avoid conflict they chise 3 leaders, Kamanev, Zinoniev and Stalin (no Trotsky because he was too radical).

They split into left(internationalism Kamanev Zinoniev and Trotsky, no NEP) and right (localism because they didn’t want beef from the capitalists, NEP)

Stalin went with the right to tey and knock his rivals off, he tactically placed people who were loyal to him in positions of power. In 1927 he struck and the leftbleaders were accused of plotting against the government. By 1928 Stalin was the clear leader of the USSR.

Question 20

Give some features of Stalinism

Answer 20

• cult of personality. He was portrayed as godly and responsible for anything good that ever happened to Russia. Art and literature had to worship him.
• had personal power and used terror to destroy any opposition within the party.
• government was centralized and there was a large emphasis on industrialization.
• strict media censorship, soviet people were cut off from foreign contact and influences. Intense propaganda.

Question 21

What was Stalins slogan and what do once in power.

Answer 21

His slogan was Socialism in one country. His goal was to make russia an industrial power. He ditched the nep and made 5 year plans in which he’d improve agriculture in order to improve industry.

Question 22

What was collectivisation?

Answer 22

The ownership of land and the means of production bu the people or the state.
Food production was controlled by state, state also provided health care and food. Many small farms were combined into large farms (kholkoz) in which government would provide health care and education.

Kulaks resisted collectivization heavily and as a result of this Stalin sent them to the Gulags. People who resisted were not given government aid and experienced famine, once the famine got bad enough they stopped resisting.

Question 23

What was Industrialization?

Answer 23

The change from manual production to mechanical production.

The five year plans turned Russia into and industrialized state. Heavy industries such as Coal mining, Iron and steel, electricity,oil and machinery became heavily expanded.

Industrial towns were built (Magnitogorsk).

The quality of goods produced wasn’t fantastic and there was lots of forced labour.

Question 24

What were the Purges and when did they occur?

Answer 24

Stalin purged the Entirety of Russia in the 1930s

Stalin executed and persecuted people who were suspected of doubting him.

There were public show trials in which old Bolsheviks would have to confess to a variety of crimes.

Stalin purged the communist party by expelling over 1 million members.

Stalin also purged the army of one 3rd of its officers.

Stalin indoctrinated the kids to be loyal commies and set up Komsomol for teens to spy on anti Staliners.

Question 25

Explain the great economic boom

Answer 25

In the 1920s the us saw great economic growth. Coal and Iron industries fluorished with high customs to make people buy local and low taxes so Pepper could buy things.

Consumer goods became the core if the economic boom (henry ford and the motor industry became dominant), the geowth in the motor improved many ither industries and the proce of cars dropped as production increased.

Question 26

List some bas things about the US economy in the 1920s.

Answer 26

Not all Americans could afford consumer goods made by factories, thus demand dropped, production decreased and workers lost their jobs.

After ww1, demand for american produce dropped, this created surpluses which saw a drop in food prices, farmers weren’t making enough money to nice nicely.

America used protective tariffs to encourage people to buy local, was meant to boost the economy but all it did was stop the freedlow ofntrade that the us had with the rest of world.

People could get credit too easily which meant that many americans were in debt, there was no protection for the millions who had bought shares or put money in banks

Question 27

What was life like for women of the american 1920s?

Answer 27

Women had been employed in factories since ww1 and had won the right to vote in 1920, they were beginning to lead more independent lives but for many women there was no real change in equality.

Question 28

What was life like for black peole during the American 1920s

Answer 28

They didn’t quite get the dame treatment as white people from the economic boom but there were limited improvements, black people moved from rural southern states to cities in the nirth like chicago, detroit and new york. There was a small but growing black middle class who created the black capitalist movement but for the majority, conditions were bad and there was discrimination

Question 29

What was prohibition?

Answer 29

Prohibition was a law passed in the 20s that made the selling of alcohol illegal in the usa. Mafia bosses (al capone) made huge profits through illegal alcohol sales, competition between gangs resulted in increasing crime and violence until prohibition was abolished in the 1930s.

Question 30

Were american locals tolerant if foreigners during the 1920s?

Answer 30

No, after a successful Bolshevik Revolution americans feared that communism would spread to the usa. The kkk was a symbol of intolerance, by 1928 they had 5mil members and had connections to government.

Question 31

What was the wall street crash and when did it happen?

Answer 31

1929.

People lost confidence in the prices and values of shares so everyone tried to withdraw their cash at the same time and sold their shares.

Because nobody wanted shares they became worthless, so investors who already owned shares were unable to pay their loans

When banks began to fail, people who had their life savings in banks lost them.

As people lost their money, they couldn’t afford goods anymore, thus the demand for consumer goods dropped, factories began to close and workers lost their jobs

The whole economy collapsed.

Question 32

List some effects of the wall street crash of 1929

Answer 32

Unemployment grew rapidly as factories closed down, unemployed people waited in breadlines for food.

Homelessness grew as the unemployed were unable to pay rent or mortgage bonds and were evicted.

Businesses and factories were impacted by the drip in demand for consumer goods, retrenched workers and they reduced wages or they just closed down completely.

Question 33

How did the government handle the effects of the Crash in 1929?

Answer 33

Not well. Dissatisfaction with the government grew. In 1932 a large group of protesters (mostly ww1 vets) held a protest in DC demanding a bonus from the government. The gov called them communists and shut everything down w/army.
People were losing faith in capitalism and the government.

Question 34

Who was Franklin Delano Roosevelt?

Answer 34

FDR was elected in 1932.
He promised a new deal for the American people. He realized that the government would have to become involved in order for the economy to grow.
He promised to help the unemployed, end prohibition and give protection to workers.

Question 35

Wen was the first new deal implemented and what did it entail?

Answer 35

1933-1935.
Roosevelts series of measures to rescue the American economy.

RRR
relief(help those who were hit hardest by the crash)

recovery (promote economic growth by starting industry again and making jobs)

Reform (to introduce basic reforms to the economy to prevent such a crash from happening again)

Fdr has fireside chats in which the confidence of the american peopmewas restored.

Question 36

What happened during the first new deal?

Answer 36

1933-1935 Wmphasis on recovery and relief.

Closed all banks and only reopened financially sound ones, stopped the freeflow of credit.

The Civilian conservation corps gave work to 3milli unemployed. They worked on projects of lasting benefits like erosion control, tree planting and flood control. PWA provided gov funding to build schools and infrastructure. They hired negros.

Gov paid farmers to destroy surpluses to stabilize prices. TVA built dams to control flooding and provide hydro electricity for indistry. TVA created thousands if jobs and improved living conditions for millions across 7states.

Gov promoted recovery by increasing wages so people could bug things. NRA drew up codes for each industry, fixed prices , limit working hours and minimum wages.

Question 37

When was the second new deal and what did it entail?

Answer 37

1935-1939
Ephohasis in reforming the American economy.

Woro Progress Administion provided work for 8milli people, it set up construction and conservation projects as well as give worl to unemployed artists, musicians, actors and teachers in cultural arts projects.

Question 38

Was there any opposition to the new deal? Explain.

Answer 38

Fdr was reeelceted but but the republicans said he was behaving like a dictator. They didn’t like that the new deal undermined self reliance and rugged individualism by making the people dependant in the government for welfare grants.
They said his policies were too radical and that he was taking America towards socialism

Question 39

Was ww2 beneficial to the usa?

Answer 39

Yebo, the americans focused in weapons production and they became the main source for arms in the allied side. The weapons industry brought about jobs which sooved the unemployed problem.