Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution Class 9 NCERT Solutions & Notes
🌍 Chapter Introduction
After the French Revolution, the ideas of equality and fraternity spread across Europe. However, not everyone wanted a complete transformation. This chapter deals with the rise of Socialism and the dramatic events of the Russian Revolution of 1917, which changed the course of world history by creating the first communist state.
🔑 Key Ideologies & Terms
- Liberals: Wanted a nation that tolerated all religions and opposed the uncontrolled power of dynastic rulers.
- Radicals: Wanted a government based on the majority of a country’s population and supported women’s suffragette movements.
- Conservatives: Opposed radicals and liberals but accepted that some change was inevitable after the French Revolution.
- Soviet: A council of workers or soldiers (e.g., Petrograd Soviet).
- Kulaks: Well-to-do peasants in Russia.
- Kolkhoz: Collective farms where peasants worked together during Stalin's era.
📚 Part 1: NCERT Textbook Solutions
Q1: What were the social, economic and political conditions in Russia before 1905?
Ans:
1. Political: Russia was an autocracy ruled by Tsar Nicholas II. There was no parliament and the Tsar was not responsible to the people.
2. Social: About 85% of the population were agriculturists. Workers were divided into social groups based on skill (metalworkers considered themselves aristocrats).
3. Economic: Industry was found in pockets (St. Petersburg and Moscow). Most factories were privately owned. Prices of essential goods rose so quickly that real wages declined by 20%.
Q2: In what ways was the working population in Russia different from other European countries before 1917?
Ans:
1. Agriculture: Russian peasants were the only ones who pooled their land periodically (Mir) and divided it according to the needs of individual families.
2. Skill Division: Workers were highly divided by skill and many maintained strong links with their villages.
3. Radicalism: Unlike Europe, Russian peasants had no respect for nobility and frequently refused to pay rent or even murdered landlords.
Q3: Why did the Tsarist autocracy collapse in 1917?
Ans:
1. World War I: Huge casualties (7 million) and destruction of crops/buildings led to starvation.
2. Poor Leadership: The Tsar ignored the Duma and took advice from the unpopular monk, Rasputin.
3. Feb Revolution: Strikes in Petrograd and the refusal of soldiers to fire on workers led to the Tsar's abdication.
Q4: Write short notes on: (a) Kulaks, (b) The Duma, (c) Stalin’s Collectivisation Programme.
Ans:
(a) Kulaks: They were prosperous peasants. Stalin launched raids on them to eliminate them and take away their land to develop state-controlled large farms.
(b) The Duma: An elected consultative parliament in Russia. The Tsar dismissed the first two quickly to maintain his absolute power.
(c) Collectivisation: Started by Stalin in 1929. Peasants were forced to work in collective farms (Kolkhoz). Those who resisted were severely punished or deported.
⚡ Part 2: 15 Extra Practice Questions (Important for Boards)
Q1: Who were the 'Bolsheviks'?
Ans: A radical socialist group led by Vladimir Lenin. They believed in a disciplined party and wanted to bring about a revolution immediately.
Q2: What was the 'Bloody Sunday' incident?
Ans: In 1905, a procession of workers led by Father Gapon was attacked by police at the Winter Palace. Over 100 were killed, sparking the 1905 Revolution.
Q3: Explain Lenin's 'April Theses'.
Ans: After returning from exile, Lenin put forward three demands:
1. The war (WWI) be brought to a close.
2. Land be transferred to the peasants.
3. Banks be nationalised.
Q4: Who were the 'Greens' and 'Whites' during the Civil War?
Ans: Greens: Socialist Revolutionaries. Whites: Pro-Tsarists. They fought against the 'Reds' (Bolsheviks).
Q5: Define 'Suffragette movement'.
Ans: A movement to give women the right to vote.
Q6: Who was Karl Marx?
Ans: A philosopher who argued that the industrial society was 'capitalist' and that workers must overthrow capitalism to create a socialist society.
Q7: What was the Comintern?
Ans: An international union of pro-Bolshevik socialist parties.
Q8: Who was Jadidists?
Ans: Muslim reformers within the Russian Empire who wanted modernised Islam to lead their societies.
Q9: Mention one effect of WWI on Russian industries.
Ans: Russia was cut off from other suppliers of industrial goods by German control of the Baltic Sea, leading to the rapid disintegration of industrial equipment.
Q10: What happened on International Women's Day 1917?
Ans: Women led the way to strikes in many factories in Petrograd, which eventually led to the fall of the Tsar.
Q11: Who was the leader of the Provisional Government?
Ans: Alexander Kerensky.
Q12: What was the main objective of Stalin's Five-Year Plans?
Ans: To promote rapid industrial growth and modernize the Soviet economy.
Q13: Name the civil war factions that were supported by France, USA, and Britain.
Ans: The 'Whites' (Pro-Tsarists) were supported by these countries to stop the spread of socialism.
Q14: What was 'Bolshevik' later renamed to?
Ans: The Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik).
Q15: When was the USSR formed?
Ans: In December 1922.