The Russian Revolution

Question 1

At the beginning of the 20th century,

Answer 1

Russia was a huge country with more than 140 million people

Question 2

Three Pillars Sustaining Russia

Answer 2

Royalty, Orthodox Church and high administrative officials + secret police (Okhrana)

Question 3

Government Style

Answer 3

Absolute Power in a Tzar Regime, led by Nicolas II

Question 4

Abolition of the Feudal System

Answer 4

20 million peasants were freed from serfdom in 1861

Question 5

The society was…..

Answer 5

very backward and only slightly industrialized

Question 6

Russian Social-Democrat Party

Answer 6

Anti-Tzarist political group established in 1898 that later divided between Mensheviks and Bolsheviks

Question 7

Mensheviks

Answer 7

preferred political change through legal methods and working with trade unions

the word means “minority”

Question 8

Bolsheviks

Answer 8

the side lead by Vladimir Lenin, preferred political change through armed violence

wanted Marxist ideas in powers

the word means “majority”

Question 9

Russian Middle Class

Answer 9

didn’t exist, everyone was either very rich or very poor

Question 10

Okrana

Answer 10

secret police that cracked down on anti-Tzarism

Question 11

Narodniks (3)

Answer 11

• Russian Populist and terrorist group established in 1870
• Wanted to help the rural and lower class
• Had the slogan “Land and Liberty”

Question 12

Social Revolutionists

Answer 12

Socialist Agrarian party established 1905 (NOT communist) who wanted to help the peasants of Russia

Question 13

All political parties in early 20th century were (3)

Answer 13

illegal, incompatible and wanted to get rid of the Tzar

Question 14

Two Factors from 1904 than made the people very anti Tzar

Answer 14

Economic crisis of 1904 and Russia’s loss in the Russo-Japanese war

Question 15

Soviet emerged to…

Answer 15

create and assembly against the Tzar

Question 16

Revolutions of 1917

Answer 16

One in February and one in October

Question 17

February Revolution 1917 (3)

Answer 17

• Took place in St. Petersburg, in which workers called for an to WW1, democratic reforms and and end to Tzarism
• Russian soldiers/guard joined the protesters
• Liberal political party and military generals forced Nicolas II to abdicate

Question 18

October Revolution/Lenin’s Revolution of 1917 (3)

Answer 18

• Germans sent Lenin back to try to destabilize new Russian government
• Provisional Government dismantled and soviets in charge (part of communist ideas)
• Created an armed demonstration to seize power

Question 19

Provisional Government in-between 1917 revolutions (3)

Answer 19

• Liberals of the State Duna made themselves the provisional government, the official government
• Workers in charge of the Soviets, or councils that were in charge of soldiers and workers
• Was extremely weak and failed to end Russia’s involvement with the war

Question 20

Changes under Provisional Government (5)

Answer 20

• Disolved Tzar’s police (Okhrana)
• Amnesty for political prisoners
• Recognized Polish and Finnish independence
• Promised to give land from landlords to peasants
• Prepared for elections and allowed for democracy

Question 21

April Theses Main Points (5)

Answer 21

Marxist Idea Document by Lenin declaring:
- Provisional Government and WW1 suck
- Power to the working class and poor people
- Abolition of police and army, and all elective officials to be paid the same as workers
- Creation of a singular national bank
- Power the Soviets and creation of Communist International

Question 22

Mensheviks and Social Revolutionists aka the Provincial Government….

Answer 22

formed the coalition government called the cadets to quell Lenin’s power

they made the Bolshevik party illegal and Lenin fled to Finland

Question 23

Totalitarianism

Answer 23

state controls entire government and all aspects of life

Question 24

Russia Civil War Dates, Sides and Winner

Answer 24

1918-1921

Bolsheviks (led by Trotsky) vs. Old Tsarists (assisted by Britain, Japan and France)

Bolsheviks won

Question 25

Soviet

Answer 25

an assembly often composed of peasants and workers (played a big part in Russian Revolution)

Question 26

Russian Economy during the Civil War

Answer 26

suffered severely, so the NEP (New Economic Policy) was created

Question 27

1920s Russian Government

Answer 27

Totalitarian with one party in charge of the state and one leader in charge of the party

Question 28

Lenin Replacement

Answer 28

When Lenin died January 21, 1924, he was worried that Stalin would take over the party and all the power, which is exactly what happened

Question 29

Stalin Government Position

Answer 29

General Secretary, so he was able to hire all his friends to join the party in his support, making him very powerful

Question 30

Tronsky End

Answer 30

- Dismissed from the party in 1925, then Kamenev and Zinoviev two years later - Kicked out of USSR in 1929 and assassinated in Mexico in 1940 on Stalin's orders

Question 31

Stalin's Dictatorship Characteristics (4)

Answer 31

- The cult of personality of the leader - Terror to achieve submission - Purges (campaigns of imprisonment and assassination of opponents) - Gulag (concentration camps)

Question 32

1936 Constitución

Answer 32

- Universal suffrage but only Communist Party members could run - The Party positions were creating a privileged bureaucracy (Nomenklatura), a social elite

Question 33

Tronsky Ideal Russia (3)

Answer 33

- Genuine workers' democracy - Freedom of expression - Election, not appointment, of political leaders (ending bureaucratization)

Question 34

Trotsky vs. Stalin Struggle for Power

Answer 34

Trotsky: -He had been responsible for the formation of the Red Army -Arrived late and did not have important supporters in the Party Stalin: - In 1922 he had become General Secretary of the Party -He had significant support within the Party

Question 35

Komintern or Communist International (5)

Answer 35

- Third International / Communist International / Komintern) - Aimed to create a tightly centralized and disciplined organization in charge of promoting the revolution in all countries - Ruled by 21 conditions imposed by Lenin and which obliged a subordination to Moscow's directives - It became an instrument at the service of the foreign policy of the USSR - Caused the world to divide between Social-democratic and reformist parties vs. communist parties.

Question 36

Stalin Economic Plan and Agriculture

Answer 36

- Abandoned NEP and had the State control the economy - Collectivization of agriculture / shared means of production / no more private farming

Question 37

Stalin Industrial Goal

Answer 37

- Strengthen heavy industry - Achieve economic, technological and military independence all through State planning

Question 38

First Five-Year Plan

Answer 38

rapid and large-scale industrialization across the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR)

Question 39

Both the Second five-year plan and the Third five-year plan emphasized....

Answer 39

growth of the arnament industry

Question 40

Military / Public Life Impact

Answer 40

Spectacular development of heavy and military industry at the expense of living standards and consumer industry