STUDY MATERIAL

HISTORY
CLASS -IX
SOCIALISM IN EUROPE AND RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
What is socialism?
 It means that we all work together so that everyone has what they need.
 Everyone is free and equal and safe from oppression.
 This is socialist ideal.
 In the days of Industrial Revolution condition of workers was miserable in the hands of
individual factory owners. They had to work long hours and were paid low wages. Lived in
filthy and congested slums. They suffered hunger, bad health and disease. Owners were
interested in profit. This is when socialism became attractive to many.

Important features of socialism:

 Socialists were against private property.
 They thought propertied people were rich (called as capitalists) and gave employment to the
poor but at a cost. They were concerned only about personal profit depriving the poor.
 The wealth of the rich, the socialists believed came from the labour of the poor. But the rich
did not look after the welfare of the poor.
 So, if the state completely controlled the economy, then the wealth and other benefits would
be equitably distributed among the people.
 Marx was convinced that the working class will succeed in overthrowing the capitalists. For a
while the Communist Party will rule on behalf of the people but soon there would be no need
for any government. All would live in peaceful, classless communist society.

Other new ideas of the 19th century Europe:

Liberals Radicals Conservatives
Believed in religious Very progressive in Opposed to liberal and
tolerance. ideas. radical ideas.

Believed a nation should Initially they supported

Challenged the have government based despotic kings and
uncontrolled powers of on popular choice. opposed any social
the kings. change.
Argued for elected Supported women’s In the 19th Century they
parliamentary right to vote. Did not accepted that changes
government, proper laws believe that only rich were inevitable.
and independent should have the right to
judiciary. vote and privileges.
 They were not against Believed that tradition
However, they did not private property but must be respected and
believe in the universal disliked the changes should not be
adult franchise, concentration of wealth drastic.
democracy and women’s in few hands.
right to vote.

Tsar’s Empire before the Russian Revolution, 1917:

It was a huge empire instead of a single nation. The tsar was its supreme head.
About 40% were Russians. There were Cossack tribe extremely loyal to the Tsar. There were
others such as –Poles, Fins, Lithuanians -- all hated Russian rule.
There were Muslims, Buddhists, the Jews, Catholics and Protestants.
Peasants and the countryside:
 Around 80% of Russian population were peasants who lived in Communes (Mir)
 There were some prosperous peasant families called Kulaks.
2
 Most of the peasants were very poor, could not read or write and used old ways of
farming. Village land was divided into strips. Each family was allotted one strip of
land. The division of land was organised by peasant councils or Mir.
 Despite hardships peasants were loyal to the Tsar. The priests in the church ensured
that.
 Many peasants were not loyal to the Tsar and supported Socialist Revolutionary Party
who opposed the Tsar. They demanded lands of the nobles be given away to the
peasants.
Industries and the working class: From 19th century Tsar was keen to have industries.
Ensured rapid industrial growth and oil, coal and iron production increased. Industries were
mostly located in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
  Peasants left their villages to work in the industries. They had to live in filthy overcrowded
slums. Bad food, disease and alcoholism became common. Working condition was wretched.
Working hours were long and wages low.
 Trade Unions were illegal.
Aristocracy or nobles:
They were very rich and had elegant lifestyle. They owned 25% of the land (were only .5% of the
population). They were very loyal to the Tsar.
Causes behind the Revolution of 1905:

Factor Causes
Long-term: The • He was an autocrat – he refused to share power with the people.
Tsar • There was no parliament. He ruled by his army—his loyal terrifying
Cossack army and secret police ’Okhrana’

Long-term: • Both were very backward. The peasants were very poor, agriculture
Economy and backward. Nobles owned 25% of land and were very rich. Nobody took
society care of the poor peasants.
• The industrial workers lived in filthy overcrowded slums. Working
condition was wretched. Long hours of work and wages were low.
Short- term: Three groups opposed Tsar:
Opposition to the (1) middle class who wanted democracy (liberals).
Tsar (2) the Socialist Revolutionaries (radicals) who wanted to take away
land from the rich nobles and hand them over to the peasants.
(3) The Social Democratic Party (Socialists) who believed a revolution
must be created to change the society.

Short-term: 1904 • A bad year for Russian workers. Prices of essential goods went up and
crises real wages fell by 20%.
• Appalling condition of the working class led to strikes and protests.
General strike paralysed Russian industries (Putilov Iron Works).

Immediate: Bloody • On 22nd January Sunday, 1905, when a crowd of 200,000 men led by
Sunday priest Father Gapon came to the Winter Palace to give petition to Tsar,
without warning soldiers opened fire and Cossacks charged into the
crowd. The Tsar lost respect of Father Gapon and other ordinary
people.
• This incident started a series of events that came to be known as the
1905 Revolution
How the First World War (1914-18) weakened the Tsarist government:
The War had a great impact on the time following in Russia.
Factors Causes
The Tsar • The Tsar took personal command of the War in 1915 which did mean that
people held Nicholas personally responsible for the defeats.
• The Tsar refused to consult the Duma and began to lose support of the
loyal members of the Duma
Tsarina and Rasputin • War time anti –German feelings made Tsarina Alexandra of German
origin become unpopular.
• Many of the leading aristocrats were appalled by the influence of evil
monk, Rasputin over the government. When the Tsar left Petrograd to take
charge of the army, he left Russia in control of Tsarina. Soon Rasputin was
giving advice on how to run the country. His name brought disrepute to
royal family and people saw Rasputin as a sign of Tsar’s weakness and
unfitness to rule.
The defeats • On the Eastern Front, casualties were very high and defeats were too
many for the Russian army. Army was demoralised. Tsar’s command at the
war made little difference.
The army • The army fought bravely but were poorly supported by industries at
home.
• Over 7 million soldiers had died by 1917. The army refused to fight such
a war.
Refugees • As Russian Army retreated, they followed ‘scorch the earth’ and
destroyed their crops and buildings. The villages were forced to leave as a
result and led to over 3 million refugees in Russia.
Severe impact on • Russian industries were cut off from other countries because Germany
industry economy took control of the Baltic Sea. Industrial raw materials on which Russian
industries were dependent, could not reach Russia. Industrial production
fell sharply.
Shortages along with •By 1916, distribution system collapsed as railway lines began to break
discontent of the down due to absence of good governance.
people and discredit • There were labour shortages as able-bodied men were at the War.
of tsar’s government Industries and small workshops closed down and essential items became
unavailable.
•Food became scarce because grains were sent to feed the army at the war
front. In bitter winter of 1916, common man of Russia faced shortage of
fuel.
•The strains of the War made people angry. In 1917, army deserted the War
in large numbers and workers struck work. Supporters of revolutionary
Bolshevik Party increased.

The causes of February Revolution, 1917:

Factors Causes
Weaknesses of the Tsarist • Huge in size and autocratic.
Empire • Poverty in Russia.
•There was demand for Duma from middle class and radical
political parties.
Failures in the World War • Army was badly led and poorly equipped.
I • Food and supplies were not reaching the front on time.
•Army was losing most of the battles on the Eastern Front.
 •A large number of soldiers died (7 million).

Tsar’s mistakes • He took the personal command of the army and was blamed for
each defeat.
•He left Russia in charge of Tsarina. She was incompetent to carry
out her responsibilities.
•She let Rasputin run the government who was equally
incompetent.
Rasputin • The ministers in Duma did not like that Rasputin was giving
advice on how to run Russia.
• People were suspicious of him.
• Opponents of Tsar saw Rasputin as a sign of Tsar’s weakness
and unfitness to rule.
• His name brought disrepute to the royal family.
Army abandoned the Tsar • Army refused to fight any more in the war and began to run away
from the front (deserted). • In St. Petersburg and Moscow soldiers
mutinied and refused to stop the riots. They did not shoot at the
crowd when ordered to do so. • They joined the workers in
numbers and formed Soviets.
Duma abandoned the Tsar • On 2nd March men of Duma went to Nicholas to tell him to
abdicate which he accepted. • A provisional government was
formed under Alexander Kerenskii. The interim government
promised a new constitution and democracy to Russia. • Russia
had finished with tsars for ever.
The causes of the October Revolution, 1917
Factors
Failure of the Provisional Government (PG)
The popularity of the Bolshevik Party
The people of Russia
Causes
 They decided to continue with the War
which nobody in Russia wanted. They
promised to give land to the peasants
after the war was over. Peasants were
disappointed.
 The PG was a mixed bag—members
were army official, land owners,
industrialists, liberals and socialists. So
decisive actions became difficult.
 PG’s control over Russia Empire began
to fail when army began to desert war in
huge number, trade unions grew and All
Russian Congress was organised.
Soviets challenged the authority of the
PG.
 PG took strong measures to control the
soviets of workers who were trying to
run the factory themselves and became
unpopular.
 His April Theses made Bolsheviks
popular. His slogan ‘Peace, Land and
Bread’ and ‘All power to the soviets’
appealed to all.
 It was the only political party that
promised to end the War.
 The Bolsheviks were a disciplined party
 Workers movement began, Trade
Unions grew, and workers began to run
the factories on their own.
 In July there were many anti-
government protests by workers and
soldiers.
 In the countryside peasants began to
seize land from the landowners.
Leadership
Difference between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks:
The Bolsheviks.
They were the majority
Their founder leader was Vladimir Lenin.
They believed that the party should be
disciplined and control the number and
quality of its members.
They believed that they must ‘create’ a
revolution soon or else the revolutionaries
would die out and Russia would be ruled by
the Tsar forever.
They believed that peasants were incapable
of making a revolution because they own
farm land. It could only be done by the
working class who suffer in the hands of
capitalists.
 Lenin was a great leader. He could bring
together supporters of the Bolsheviks in
the army, soviets and factory workers
together. He could persuade the
Petrograd Soviet to agree to seize power
from the Provisional Government. He
was supported by another excellent
leader Leon Trotsky who formed the
Red Guards, a Bolshevik army which
finally seized power from the
provisional government on 24th
October, 1917.
The Mensheviks
They were the minority.
Their founder leader was Julius Martov.
They believed that the party should be open
to all.
They believed that revolution cannot be
created, it gradually comes of its own.
They believed in mass revolution.

Events of the February Revolution, 1917:

Events of the Revolution Effects of the events

Anger among the common people of Mood was intense.
the city of Petrograd was very clear in
the winter of 1917.
Shortage of food and fuel As hardship increased anger against
the Tsar increased.
2 February, lockout of a factory on 50 other factories went on strike to
the right bank of Petrograd. show solidarity and government-
imposed curfew.
24th and 25th February workers were Harsh and strict vigilance kept the
back on the. Tsar used the cavalry and workers off the streets
police to disperse streets. Them
26th -27th February protesters came
back and attacked the Police
headquarters. They demanded land,
food and peace from the Tsar.
The Tsar ordered the army to shoot
all the protestors. They refused. The
loyal army had mutinied against the
Tsar. They joined the workers and
formed soviets at Petrograd.
2nd March, the tsar abdicated.
Events after February that led to the October Revolution/Russian
Revolution, 1917:
Events
Provisional Government decided to continue
with the war when people wanted peace.
Lenin, the Bolshevik leader returned to Russia
(from exile in Europe). His April Theses
appealed to the people of Russia.
Provisional Government’s control began to
collapse as Army began to desert the War in
huge number, Trade Union grew, All Russian
Congress of Soviets was organised. The
workers tried to run the factories by
themselves and in the countryside, peasants
were seizing land.
On 16th October, Lenin persuaded the
members of the Bolsheviks Party to seize
power. The Red Army was organised by
Trotsky for the activity
Violence increased in Petrograd. The
Tsar was forced to summon the
cavalry once more.
It was not clear who was in-charge of
Russia. But it was clear that the Tsar
was not.
A provisional government under
Alexander Kerenskii was formed.
Election to be held in future.
Universal ult Franchise would be
followed. Russia had finished with
tsars.
Effects
People were disappointed with the Provisional
Government. Petrograd Soviet became
powerful as much of the Army became its
member.
Bolshevik party became popular day by day.
The Government faced serious challenge from
all over. Bolsheviks seemed to the people the
only solution to their problems.
Beginning of the revolution.
On 24th October Kerenskii summoned outside Kerenskii had lost power and the Bolshevik
troops to arrange for protection foe the Winter revolution was the question of time.
Palace and other important offices.

On the same day, 24th October, Red Army The Provisional Government had surrendered.
was ordered to seize the government offices in Kerenskii managed to escape and remained in
Petrograd and arrested the ministers of exile in Europe. [Mainly in Britain and
Provisional Government. The naval ship France. He died in the USA]
‘Aurora’ shelled the Winter Palace. By
nightfall, city was under the control of the Red
Army.

Outside Petrograd and particularly in Moscow Revolution has succeeded. The Bolsheviks
and in many other cities, there was a lot of had come to power in Russia.
violence. By December, the Bolsheviks
controlled Moscow and areas around
Petrograd.

What changed in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution/ Bolshevik

socialism?
 Lenin introduced many changes (1917-23) to strengthened Bolshevik
hold on power.
 The land belonging to Tsar, Church and nobles handed over to peasants.
The Bolsheviks were socialists, therefore against ownership of private
property. Land however, was declared as a social property so peasants
could have land.
 Industries and banks were nationalised.
 Russia asked for peace with Germany. Trotsky was put in charge of
negotiating a peace treaty (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, 1918).
 In cities, houses were of the rich were partitioned to accommodate
workers. They banned titles and did away with all privileges.
 All the non-Bolshevik newspapers and opposition political parties were
banned and leaders arrested. Russia became one party state that is
Bolshevik Party (re-named as the Russian Communist Party). All Russian
Congress of Soviets became the Parliament. Censorship was introduced.
 Cheka (secret police) was set up to deal with opposition.
 Lenin had promised free elections to the Constituent Assembly and held
elections in November 1917. The Bolsheviks did not gain majority in in
the elections. Their rivals Socialist Revolutionaries (the Party popular in
 the country side) became the biggest party in the Assembly. Lenin solved
the problem by sending Red Guards to close down the Assembly forever.
He believed All Russian Congress of Soviets would establish the rule of
the working class, which would finally give way to communism.
 The Bolsheviks banned the use of old titles of aristocracy and changed
the old uniform of the army of the Tsarist time. He had a new constitution
made that turned the Russian Empire into the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republic (USSR) to give recognition to non-Russian nationalities.
 Stalin introduced a series of Five-Year Plans to modernise the USSR. By
1937 the USSR was a modern state. This was achieved through
centralised planning and ambitious targets for production in the important
heavy industries (coal, iron, oil electricity). Government fixed all prices
of industrial goods.
 An extended schooling system was developed and arrangements were
made for factory workers to enter universities. Good housing and cheap
health care was provided to the workers.
The Civil War (1918- 1920):
 By the end of 1918 an unlikely collection of anti-Bolshevik elements had united to
crush the Bolsheviks.
 The Bolsheviks’ stronghold was in western Russia. Much of the rest of Russia
supported Socialist Revolutionary Party.
 The anti-Bolsheviks were known as ‘Whites’ and ‘Greens’ (in contrast to Bolshevik
Red). The Whites were made up of supporters of the Tsar, landlords and capitalists
who had lost land or money in the revolution. The Greens were the Socialist
Revolutionaries. The Whites and the Greens had the backing of the foreign troops
from the USA, Japan, France and Britain. They were sent to force Russia back into
the War against Germany.
 By 1920 the last of the White Army was defeated and by 1921 the Bolsheviks were
securely in control of Russia.
The reasons that paved way for the Bolsheviks to win the Civil War:
(1) Red Army was stronger and brilliantly led by Trotsky. The White Army was made up of
many different groups.
(2) The Whites had been very harsh with the peasants who had seized their land. They lost
support of the Russian people. If the Whites won, the peasants knew the Tsar they hated and
the landlords would return.

Stalin and Collectivisation:

What was Collectivisation?
 Peasants put their lands together to form a large joint farm (Kolkhoz) but could keep
small plots of land for themselves.
 Animals and tools were to be pooled. Tractors, free seeds and fertilizers were
provided by the government.
 90% of the kolkhoz produce would be sold to the government and profits shared out
among the farmers of the Kolkhoz. Remaining 10% of the produce was to be used
back in the kolkhoz.
Why Collectivisation of farms?
 Stalin wanted to modernise the USSR’s agriculture because population was growing
in cities.
 Raise money for industrialisation by selling surplus grains.
 He believed the rich peasants (the kulaks) were behaving like capitalists. They were
holding the crops to be able to sell at higher rate later. This profit- making motive (in
the way of speculation) was against socialism.
 To set up state controlled large farms by eliminating Kulaks (enemies of socialism).
Reaction of the peasants:
 Peasants were very angry and refused to hand over their grains to the government.
They killed their own livestock. The kulaks resisted the most.
 They argued that they were not rich and were not against socialism but did not want to
work on kolkhoz. The peasants were dealt with harshly by the government—many
were exiled, deported or even shot.

Results of Collectivisation:
 Peasants were unhappy in the country side and the best farmers, the kulaks, had been
eliminated.
 Agriculture was modernised but production did not increase much. The number of
livestock fell by 1/3rd. There were repeated bad harvests between 1930-33 where
about 4million people died due to famine.
 Many within the Bolshevik Party began to criticise Collectivisation of farming. Stalin
charged the critics as enemies of socialism. Millions were imprisoned or executed
including innocents and talented professionals.
Questions:
1. What were the different notions of liberals, radicals, and conservatives regarding formation
of the new government in Russia?
2. What are socialist ideals?
3. Which political party was active in country side in the Russian Empire?
4. Difference between Kulaks and Kolkhoj?
5. What were the communes?
6. Why did Lenin believe that peasants could not be the part of socialist revolution?
7. ‘Russia was an autocracy’. Give reasons to support your answer.
8. What was the immediate cause of the Revolution of 1905?
OR
What were the events preceding the 1905 Revolution?
9. Why is the incident in Russian empire on 2nd March 1917 regarded as the most important
result of February Revolution?
10. With reference to the Russian Empire state the importance of the 16th October and 24th
October, 1917.
11. Give examples to show that Lenin was not interested in democracy for Russia after
October Revolution.
12. How important was the First World War in the collapse of the tsarist regime?
13. What were the causes of the February Revolution, 1917?
14. ‘A Military Revolutionary Committee was set up under Trotsky to organise the seizure
(on 16th October, 1917).’ State the events that led to the seizure of power.
15. Why did the Civil War break out in 1918?
16. What changes were introduced by Lenin after the October revolution?
17. Why did not Stalin’s collectivisation yield immediate results? Explain.
18. To what extent were the Bolsheviks able to establish socialist society? Discuss.
19. Discuss the global impact of the Revolution in The Rusian Enpire.
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