Test 21.01.25

Question 1

What were the causes of the Lena Goldfields Strike

Answer 1

1. Poor working conditions (Little pay, long days and dangerous)
2. Workers were forced to it rotten meat

Question 2

What were the events of the Lena Goldfields Strike

Answer 2

Workers went on strike, large protests demanded reform
Troops fired into the crowds killing 270 and injuring 25

Question 3

What were the consequences of the Lena Goldfields Strike

Answer 3

• Kick started huge protests all across russia
• Workers demanded 8 hour days and 30% more pay
• Made people realise that the Tsarist government weren’t effective

Question 4

Summarise the events of the Potemkin mutiny

Answer 4

1. Conditions in the Navy were extremely tough and ideas of socialism were spreading through the sailors
2. The Quartermaster of the ship (Matyushenko) started planning a mutiny
3. On 14 June 1905 rotten meat was reported but the sialors were told if they didn’t eat it they would be shot and one sailor refused and was shot
4. This started the mutiny, other sailors killed the officers on the ship and took control of the ship
5. The mutineers sailed to Odessa were strikes had been happening, the sailors were greeted with a warm welcome
6. Riots spread through the city and to stop them troops fired into the crowd over 1000 people were killed
7. The sailors were forced to flee to Romania where they were given asylum. And sunk the ship

Question 5

What was the decree on Peace

Answer 5

• It said all countries involved in the war should seek peace
• Germany refused to sign any peace treaty with Russia without getting any Russian territory in exchange
• Armistice for Russian troops

Question 6

What was the Decree on the Land

Answer 6

• This abolished private ownership of land, and land now belonged to the state and given to the peasants to farm it
• In December 1917 the decree was extended so all Church land was now owned by the state

Question 7

What was the decree on nationalities

Answer 7

• All the different peoples of the old
  Russian empire could have their own governments
• However, these governments remained under Bolshevik control

Question 8

What was the Decree on workers rights

Answer 8

• Decree on Work - 8-hour day
• Decree on Unemployment - unemployment insurance for those unable to work
• Decree on Workers’ Control - workers’ committees now ran their own factories

Question 9

What was Stolypins plan for his land reform

Answer 9

To let individual peasants leave the commune and set up their own farms.
This would give the peasants more profit

Question 10

What was Stolypin’s wager on the strong theory

Answer 10

He believed that if peasants became successful they would stop rebelling against the government

Question 11

What problems did Stolypins reform face

Answer 11

• There were many more applicants for the reform then the government was expecting
• Many of the peasants had their own piece of land but acted as if they were in a commune, only 14% had made indidvidual farms
• In 1917 peasant unrest returned in rural Russia

Question 12

What were key features of the NEP that affected ordinary peasants and workers

Answer 12

• Grain requisitioning ended and free market was introduced so peasants could sell produce and pay 10% tax
• Russians could open shops and sell goods these were called “Nepmen”

Question 13

What were key features of the NEP that affected businesses and factories

Answer 13

• State kept control of big factories
• Businesses with under 20 workers could be privately owned and make profit
• 20,000 well paid foreign experts brought into improve factory productivity

Question 14

What were the 4 key economic effects of the NEP

Answer 14

• Agricultural output increased
• Food supply increased
• Industrial growth increased
• Foreign powers friendlier to Russia

Question 15

Why were communists unhappy with the NEP

Answer 15

• Went against communist ideology
• Increased inequality
• Favoured peasants over workers
• Created a richer class

Question 16

What was the background to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Answer 16

• After the decree on Peace there was a ceasefire between Russia and Germany while a conference was organised
• Trotsky who was in charge of negotiations kept discussions going for 2 months
• Trotsky refused to pay any compensation or give up any land
• Germany responded by invading Russia again

Question 17

What were the main terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Answer 17

To achieve peace Russia had to lose:
- 74 per cent of its coal mines and iron ore
- 50 per cent of its industry
- 26 per cent of its railway network
- 27 per cent of its farmland
- 26 per cent of its population (which was 62 million at the time).
- Russia also had to pay the Germans 300 million gold roubles
- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on 3 March 1918

Question 18

What were the consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Answer 18

• The treaty was seen as very shameful
• People began to leave the starving cities and return the country to grown their own food
• It was a main cause for the civil war

Question 19

What were the key achievements of Lenin

Answer 19

• Leadership during the October Revolution (1917):
  Lenin masterminded the revolution, leading the Bolsheviks to seize power from the Provisional Government.
• Implementation of Marxism-Leninism:
  Lenin adapted Marxist ideas to suit Russia’s specific conditions, rethinking socialism as an immediate goal rather than a distant future.
• April Theses (1917):
  Lenin changed the aims of the Bolshevik Party with clear and focused objectives, gaining widespread support.
• The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918):
  Lenin negotiated peace with Germany to end Russia’s involvement in World War I, despite the significant territorial and economic losses.
• Creation of Single-Party Rule:
  Lenin ensured the Bolsheviks held exclusive political power, transforming the Soviet Union into a one-party state.
• War Communism (1918-1921):
  Although unpopular, Lenin’s policies during the Civil War centralized control of the economy to support the Red Army and ensure victory.
• The New Economic Policy (NEP) (1921):
  Lenin introduced the NEP to retreat from strict communist policies, allowing some private enterprise to stabilize the economy and rebuild the Soviet Union.
• Victory in the Civil War (1917-1922):
  Under Lenin’s leadership, the Bolsheviks defeated their opponents and consolidated control over the Soviet Union by 1924.
• Founding of the Soviet Union (1922):
  Lenin became the first leader of the Soviet Union, establishing the principles of Communism