Class 9 NCERT - Solved Question Answers Documents

 Page 1


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Imagine that you are a striking worker 
in 1905 who is being tried in court for 
your act of rebellion. Draft the speech 
you would make in your defence. Act 
out your speech for your class.
 Ans. Good morning all and sundry!
  I have done what I should do. We, the 
workers, are the most suppressed 
sections of the society. Our working 
hours are so long. If we want a 
reduction in it to eight hours, it is 
fully justified. We are not machines. 
We are after all human beings. Like 
other human beings, we also need 
relaxation. We are compelled to do 
work in such hazardous conditions 
and that too against such poor 
wages. If we are striking to get our 
conditions improved, it should not be 
considered as an act of rebellion. We 
are right and our demands should be 
fulfilled.
  Q2. Write the headline and a short 
news item about the uprising of 24 
October 1917 for each of the following 
newspapers:
  • a Conservative paper in France
  • a Radical newspaper in Britain
  • a Bolshevik newspaper in Russia
 Ans. Students are suggested to develop 
headlines and short news items 
themselves.
  Q3. Imagine that you are a middle 
level wheat farmer in Russia after 
collectivisation.
  You have decided to write a letter 
to Stalin explaining your objections 
to collectivisation. What would you 
write about the conditions of your life? 
What do you think would be Stalin’s 
response to such a farmer?
 Ans. Respected Sir,
  I am a middle level wheat farmer 
after collectivisation. My family is 
big and now it is quite difficult for 
me to look after it properly. We are 
in fact dying of starvation. Your 
collectivisation technique has ruined 
me and my family. I had made assets 
of land with great effort. And now it 
has been taken away from me in a 
second. It is not justified. I, therefore, 
request you to please do me a favour 
and return my land to me.
  The letter would not have produced 
desired effect on Stalin. He would 
have sent his men to imprison this 
farmer.
Questions
  Q1. What were the social, economic and 
political conditions in Russia before 
1905?
 Ans. The social, economic and political 
conditions in Russia before 1905 
were not at all sound.
 • Social conditions: Russian society 
before 1905 was divided into three 
classes—the clergy, nobility and 
peasants. The condition of the 
peasants was pathetic. They cultivated  
most of the land. But the nobility, 
the crown and the orthodox church 
owned large properties. The peasants 
had to pay heavy redemption dues. 
There was great unrest among these 
peasants. They wanted the land of 
the nobles and fought for them. 
Frequently, they refused to pay rent 
and even murdered landlords.
 • Economic conditions: About 80 
per cent of the Russian empire’s 
population earned their living from 
agriculture. Industry was found in 
pockets. Prominent industrial areas 
were St. Petersburg and Moscow. 
Craftsmen undertook much of the 
production, but large factories existed 
alongside craft workshops. Many 
factories were set up in the 1890s, 
when Russia’s railway network was 
extended and foreign investment in 
industry increased. By the 1900s 
in some areas, factory workers and 
Page 2


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Imagine that you are a striking worker 
in 1905 who is being tried in court for 
your act of rebellion. Draft the speech 
you would make in your defence. Act 
out your speech for your class.
 Ans. Good morning all and sundry!
  I have done what I should do. We, the 
workers, are the most suppressed 
sections of the society. Our working 
hours are so long. If we want a 
reduction in it to eight hours, it is 
fully justified. We are not machines. 
We are after all human beings. Like 
other human beings, we also need 
relaxation. We are compelled to do 
work in such hazardous conditions 
and that too against such poor 
wages. If we are striking to get our 
conditions improved, it should not be 
considered as an act of rebellion. We 
are right and our demands should be 
fulfilled.
  Q2. Write the headline and a short 
news item about the uprising of 24 
October 1917 for each of the following 
newspapers:
  • a Conservative paper in France
  • a Radical newspaper in Britain
  • a Bolshevik newspaper in Russia
 Ans. Students are suggested to develop 
headlines and short news items 
themselves.
  Q3. Imagine that you are a middle 
level wheat farmer in Russia after 
collectivisation.
  You have decided to write a letter 
to Stalin explaining your objections 
to collectivisation. What would you 
write about the conditions of your life? 
What do you think would be Stalin’s 
response to such a farmer?
 Ans. Respected Sir,
  I am a middle level wheat farmer 
after collectivisation. My family is 
big and now it is quite difficult for 
me to look after it properly. We are 
in fact dying of starvation. Your 
collectivisation technique has ruined 
me and my family. I had made assets 
of land with great effort. And now it 
has been taken away from me in a 
second. It is not justified. I, therefore, 
request you to please do me a favour 
and return my land to me.
  The letter would not have produced 
desired effect on Stalin. He would 
have sent his men to imprison this 
farmer.
Questions
  Q1. What were the social, economic and 
political conditions in Russia before 
1905?
 Ans. The social, economic and political 
conditions in Russia before 1905 
were not at all sound.
 • Social conditions: Russian society 
before 1905 was divided into three 
classes—the clergy, nobility and 
peasants. The condition of the 
peasants was pathetic. They cultivated  
most of the land. But the nobility, 
the crown and the orthodox church 
owned large properties. The peasants 
had to pay heavy redemption dues. 
There was great unrest among these 
peasants. They wanted the land of 
the nobles and fought for them. 
Frequently, they refused to pay rent 
and even murdered landlords.
 • Economic conditions: About 80 
per cent of the Russian empire’s 
population earned their living from 
agriculture. Industry was found in 
pockets. Prominent industrial areas 
were St. Petersburg and Moscow. 
Craftsmen undertook much of the 
production, but large factories existed 
alongside craft workshops. Many 
factories were set up in the 1890s, 
when Russia’s railway network was 
extended and foreign investment in 
industry increased. By the 1900s 
in some areas, factory workers and 
craftsmen were almost equal in 
number. Most industry was the private 
property of industrialists. Government 
supervised large factories to ensure 
minimum wages and limited hours of 
work. But factory inspectors could not 
prevent rules from being broken. As 
a result, workers were living a very 
miserable life. They had no political 
rights. Their working hours were too 
long. Their wages were too meagre 
and their working conditions were 
too hazardous. Unemployment was 
a common phenomenon in Russia 
before 1905.
 • Political conditions: Russia at the 
time of the revolution was under 
the autocracy of Tsar Nicholas II. 
He believed in the Divine Rights of 
Kings. People were not satisfied with 
his governance. The Russian empire 
that Nicholas II ruled was vast. 
Besides the territory around Moscow, 
the Russian empire included current 
day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, 
Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine and 
Bearus. It stretched to the Pacific 
and comprised today’s central Asian 
states, as well as Georgia, Armenia 
and Azarbaijan. The majority religion 
was Russian Orthodox Christianity 
which had grown out of the Greek 
Orthodox church but the empire 
also included Catholics, Protestants, 
Muslims and Buddhists.
  Q2. In what ways was the working 
population in Russia different from 
other countries in Europe before 1917?
 Ans. (i) Before 1917, the vast majority of 
Russia’s people were agriculturists. 
About 85 per cent of the Russian 
empire’s population was engaged 
in agriculture. This proportion was 
higher than in most European 
countries. For instance, in France 
and Germany the proportion was 
between 40 per cent and 50 per cent.
 (ii) U nl i ke Europe, i n Russi a 
industrialisation started late. As 
a result, industry was found in 
pockets. Prominent industrial areas 
were St. Petersburg and Moscow. 
Craftsmen undertook much of the 
production but large factories existed 
alongside craft workshops.
 (iii) Russian peasants had no respect for 
the nobles who got their power and 
position through their services to the 
Tsar, not through local popularity. 
This was unlike France where, during 
the French Revolution in Britain, 
peasants respected nobles and even 
fought for them.
 (iv) In Russia, peasants were violent and 
frequently refused to pay rent and 
even murdered landlords. In 1905, 
such incidents took place all over 
Russia. This was not found in any 
of the European countries.
 (v) Unlike European peasants, Russian 
peasants pooled their land together 
periodically and their commune 
divided it according to the needs of 
individual families.
  Q3. Why did Tsarist autocracy collapse in 
1917?
 Ans. Several factors led to the collapse of 
Tsarist autocracy in Russia:
 (i) Tsar Nicholas II was not an efficient 
ruler. He still believed in the 
autocratic rights of the king. His 
policies brought deep dissatisfaction 
among the common mass.
 (ii) Tsarina Alexandra’s German origins 
and poor advisers, especially 
Rasputin, made the autocracy very 
unpopular.
 (iii) The bureaucracy that Tsar Nicholas 
II recruited was too inefficient. The 
recruitment of the members was 
done on the basis of privileges and 
patronage, not on merit. This was a 
major factor that paved the way for 
the downfall of Tsarist autocracy.
 (iv) Russia’s participation in the First 
World War proved disastrous for 
it. The war was initially popular in 
Russia and people rallied around Tsar 
Nicholas II. As the war continued, 
though, the Tsar refused to consult 
Page 3


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Imagine that you are a striking worker 
in 1905 who is being tried in court for 
your act of rebellion. Draft the speech 
you would make in your defence. Act 
out your speech for your class.
 Ans. Good morning all and sundry!
  I have done what I should do. We, the 
workers, are the most suppressed 
sections of the society. Our working 
hours are so long. If we want a 
reduction in it to eight hours, it is 
fully justified. We are not machines. 
We are after all human beings. Like 
other human beings, we also need 
relaxation. We are compelled to do 
work in such hazardous conditions 
and that too against such poor 
wages. If we are striking to get our 
conditions improved, it should not be 
considered as an act of rebellion. We 
are right and our demands should be 
fulfilled.
  Q2. Write the headline and a short 
news item about the uprising of 24 
October 1917 for each of the following 
newspapers:
  • a Conservative paper in France
  • a Radical newspaper in Britain
  • a Bolshevik newspaper in Russia
 Ans. Students are suggested to develop 
headlines and short news items 
themselves.
  Q3. Imagine that you are a middle 
level wheat farmer in Russia after 
collectivisation.
  You have decided to write a letter 
to Stalin explaining your objections 
to collectivisation. What would you 
write about the conditions of your life? 
What do you think would be Stalin’s 
response to such a farmer?
 Ans. Respected Sir,
  I am a middle level wheat farmer 
after collectivisation. My family is 
big and now it is quite difficult for 
me to look after it properly. We are 
in fact dying of starvation. Your 
collectivisation technique has ruined 
me and my family. I had made assets 
of land with great effort. And now it 
has been taken away from me in a 
second. It is not justified. I, therefore, 
request you to please do me a favour 
and return my land to me.
  The letter would not have produced 
desired effect on Stalin. He would 
have sent his men to imprison this 
farmer.
Questions
  Q1. What were the social, economic and 
political conditions in Russia before 
1905?
 Ans. The social, economic and political 
conditions in Russia before 1905 
were not at all sound.
 • Social conditions: Russian society 
before 1905 was divided into three 
classes—the clergy, nobility and 
peasants. The condition of the 
peasants was pathetic. They cultivated  
most of the land. But the nobility, 
the crown and the orthodox church 
owned large properties. The peasants 
had to pay heavy redemption dues. 
There was great unrest among these 
peasants. They wanted the land of 
the nobles and fought for them. 
Frequently, they refused to pay rent 
and even murdered landlords.
 • Economic conditions: About 80 
per cent of the Russian empire’s 
population earned their living from 
agriculture. Industry was found in 
pockets. Prominent industrial areas 
were St. Petersburg and Moscow. 
Craftsmen undertook much of the 
production, but large factories existed 
alongside craft workshops. Many 
factories were set up in the 1890s, 
when Russia’s railway network was 
extended and foreign investment in 
industry increased. By the 1900s 
in some areas, factory workers and 
craftsmen were almost equal in 
number. Most industry was the private 
property of industrialists. Government 
supervised large factories to ensure 
minimum wages and limited hours of 
work. But factory inspectors could not 
prevent rules from being broken. As 
a result, workers were living a very 
miserable life. They had no political 
rights. Their working hours were too 
long. Their wages were too meagre 
and their working conditions were 
too hazardous. Unemployment was 
a common phenomenon in Russia 
before 1905.
 • Political conditions: Russia at the 
time of the revolution was under 
the autocracy of Tsar Nicholas II. 
He believed in the Divine Rights of 
Kings. People were not satisfied with 
his governance. The Russian empire 
that Nicholas II ruled was vast. 
Besides the territory around Moscow, 
the Russian empire included current 
day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, 
Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine and 
Bearus. It stretched to the Pacific 
and comprised today’s central Asian 
states, as well as Georgia, Armenia 
and Azarbaijan. The majority religion 
was Russian Orthodox Christianity 
which had grown out of the Greek 
Orthodox church but the empire 
also included Catholics, Protestants, 
Muslims and Buddhists.
  Q2. In what ways was the working 
population in Russia different from 
other countries in Europe before 1917?
 Ans. (i) Before 1917, the vast majority of 
Russia’s people were agriculturists. 
About 85 per cent of the Russian 
empire’s population was engaged 
in agriculture. This proportion was 
higher than in most European 
countries. For instance, in France 
and Germany the proportion was 
between 40 per cent and 50 per cent.
 (ii) U nl i ke Europe, i n Russi a 
industrialisation started late. As 
a result, industry was found in 
pockets. Prominent industrial areas 
were St. Petersburg and Moscow. 
Craftsmen undertook much of the 
production but large factories existed 
alongside craft workshops.
 (iii) Russian peasants had no respect for 
the nobles who got their power and 
position through their services to the 
Tsar, not through local popularity. 
This was unlike France where, during 
the French Revolution in Britain, 
peasants respected nobles and even 
fought for them.
 (iv) In Russia, peasants were violent and 
frequently refused to pay rent and 
even murdered landlords. In 1905, 
such incidents took place all over 
Russia. This was not found in any 
of the European countries.
 (v) Unlike European peasants, Russian 
peasants pooled their land together 
periodically and their commune 
divided it according to the needs of 
individual families.
  Q3. Why did Tsarist autocracy collapse in 
1917?
 Ans. Several factors led to the collapse of 
Tsarist autocracy in Russia:
 (i) Tsar Nicholas II was not an efficient 
ruler. He still believed in the 
autocratic rights of the king. His 
policies brought deep dissatisfaction 
among the common mass.
 (ii) Tsarina Alexandra’s German origins 
and poor advisers, especially 
Rasputin, made the autocracy very 
unpopular.
 (iii) The bureaucracy that Tsar Nicholas 
II recruited was too inefficient. The 
recruitment of the members was 
done on the basis of privileges and 
patronage, not on merit. This was a 
major factor that paved the way for 
the downfall of Tsarist autocracy.
 (iv) Russia’s participation in the First 
World War proved disastrous for 
it. The war was initially popular in 
Russia and people rallied around Tsar 
Nicholas II. As the war continued, 
though, the Tsar refused to consult 
the main parties in the Duma, 
support were thin. Anti-German 
feeling ran high.
 (v) Russia’s army lost badly in Germany 
and Austria between 1914 and 1916. 
There were over 7 million casualties by 
1917. As they retreated, the Russian 
army destroyed crops and buildings 
to prevent the enemy from being able 
to live off the land. The destruction 
of crops and buildings led to over 
3 million refugees in Russia. 
The situation discredited the 
government and the Tsar.
 (vi) Peasants and workers formed large 
section of Russia’s population. But 
their condition was too miserable. 
The Tsar never paid even a slight 
attention to their condition.
  All the above-mentioned factors 
prepared such a condition in Russia 
in which Tsarist autocracy was 
bound to collapse.
  Q4. Make two lists: One with the main 
events and the effects of the February 
Revolution and the other with the 
main events and effects of the October 
Revolution. Write a paragraph on who 
was involved in each, who were the 
leaders and what was the impact of 
each on Soviet history.
 Ans. 1. The main events of the February 
Revolution:
 (i) In the winter of 1917, conditions 
in the capital, Petrograd were grim. 
There had been exceptional frost and 
heavy snow. This aggravated food 
problem. Food shortages were deeply 
felt in the workers’ quarters.
 (ii) Parliamentarians wishing to preserve 
elected government, were opposed 
to the Tsar’s desire to dissolve the 
Duma.
 (iii) On 22 February, a lockout took place 
at a factory on the right bank of the 
River Neva. The next day, workers 
in fifty factories called a strike in 
sympathy. In many factories, women 
led the way to strikes. Demonstrating 
workers crossed from the factory 
quarters to the centre of the capital, 
i.e. the Nevskii prospect. Soon the 
government imposed a curfew. 
Demonstrators dispersed by the 
evening, but they came back on the 
24th and 25th of February.
 (iv) They also came in force in the streets 
of the left bank of the River Neva on 
the 26th. On the right bank were 
the fashionable areas, the Winter 
Palace, and officials buildings. On 
the 27th, they ransacked the police 
headquarters. The streets thronged 
with people raising slogans about 
bread, wages, better hours and 
democracy.
 2. Effects of the February Revolution:
 (i) The Tsar abdicated on 2 March. 
Thus, monarchy was brought down. 
Soviet leaders and Duma leaders 
formed a provisional government to 
run the country.
 (ii) Russia’s future would be decided 
by a constituent assembly, elected 
on the basis of universal adult 
suffrage.
 3. The main events of the October 
Revolution:
 (i) The October Revolution occurred 
due to the conflict between the 
provisional government and the 
Bolsheviks, of which Lenin was the 
leader.
 (ii) Lenin feared the Provisional 
Government would set up a 
dictatorship. In September, he 
began discussions for an uprising 
against the government. Bolshevik 
supporters in the army, soviets and 
factories were brought together.
 (iii) On 16 October 1917, Lenin 
persuaded the Petrograd Soviet 
and the Bolshevik party to agree 
to a socialist seizure of power. A 
military revolutionary committee was 
appointed by the Soviet under Leon 
Trotski to organise the seizure. The 
date of the event was kept a secret.
Page 4


NCERT TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS SOLVED
Activities
  Q1. Imagine that you are a striking worker 
in 1905 who is being tried in court for 
your act of rebellion. Draft the speech 
you would make in your defence. Act 
out your speech for your class.
 Ans. Good morning all and sundry!
  I have done what I should do. We, the 
workers, are the most suppressed 
sections of the society. Our working 
hours are so long. If we want a 
reduction in it to eight hours, it is 
fully justified. We are not machines. 
We are after all human beings. Like 
other human beings, we also need 
relaxation. We are compelled to do 
work in such hazardous conditions 
and that too against such poor 
wages. If we are striking to get our 
conditions improved, it should not be 
considered as an act of rebellion. We 
are right and our demands should be 
fulfilled.
  Q2. Write the headline and a short 
news item about the uprising of 24 
October 1917 for each of the following 
newspapers:
  • a Conservative paper in France
  • a Radical newspaper in Britain
  • a Bolshevik newspaper in Russia
 Ans. Students are suggested to develop 
headlines and short news items 
themselves.
  Q3. Imagine that you are a middle 
level wheat farmer in Russia after 
collectivisation.
  You have decided to write a letter 
to Stalin explaining your objections 
to collectivisation. What would you 
write about the conditions of your life? 
What do you think would be Stalin’s 
response to such a farmer?
 Ans. Respected Sir,
  I am a middle level wheat farmer 
after collectivisation. My family is 
big and now it is quite difficult for 
me to look after it properly. We are 
in fact dying of starvation. Your 
collectivisation technique has ruined 
me and my family. I had made assets 
of land with great effort. And now it 
has been taken away from me in a 
second. It is not justified. I, therefore, 
request you to please do me a favour 
and return my land to me.
  The letter would not have produced 
desired effect on Stalin. He would 
have sent his men to imprison this 
farmer.
Questions
  Q1. What were the social, economic and 
political conditions in Russia before 
1905?
 Ans. The social, economic and political 
conditions in Russia before 1905 
were not at all sound.
 • Social conditions: Russian society 
before 1905 was divided into three 
classes—the clergy, nobility and 
peasants. The condition of the 
peasants was pathetic. They cultivated  
most of the land. But the nobility, 
the crown and the orthodox church 
owned large properties. The peasants 
had to pay heavy redemption dues. 
There was great unrest among these 
peasants. They wanted the land of 
the nobles and fought for them. 
Frequently, they refused to pay rent 
and even murdered landlords.
 • Economic conditions: About 80 
per cent of the Russian empire’s 
population earned their living from 
agriculture. Industry was found in 
pockets. Prominent industrial areas 
were St. Petersburg and Moscow. 
Craftsmen undertook much of the 
production, but large factories existed 
alongside craft workshops. Many 
factories were set up in the 1890s, 
when Russia’s railway network was 
extended and foreign investment in 
industry increased. By the 1900s 
in some areas, factory workers and 
craftsmen were almost equal in 
number. Most industry was the private 
property of industrialists. Government 
supervised large factories to ensure 
minimum wages and limited hours of 
work. But factory inspectors could not 
prevent rules from being broken. As 
a result, workers were living a very 
miserable life. They had no political 
rights. Their working hours were too 
long. Their wages were too meagre 
and their working conditions were 
too hazardous. Unemployment was 
a common phenomenon in Russia 
before 1905.
 • Political conditions: Russia at the 
time of the revolution was under 
the autocracy of Tsar Nicholas II. 
He believed in the Divine Rights of 
Kings. People were not satisfied with 
his governance. The Russian empire 
that Nicholas II ruled was vast. 
Besides the territory around Moscow, 
the Russian empire included current 
day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, 
Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine and 
Bearus. It stretched to the Pacific 
and comprised today’s central Asian 
states, as well as Georgia, Armenia 
and Azarbaijan. The majority religion 
was Russian Orthodox Christianity 
which had grown out of the Greek 
Orthodox church but the empire 
also included Catholics, Protestants, 
Muslims and Buddhists.
  Q2. In what ways was the working 
population in Russia different from 
other countries in Europe before 1917?
 Ans. (i) Before 1917, the vast majority of 
Russia’s people were agriculturists. 
About 85 per cent of the Russian 
empire’s population was engaged 
in agriculture. This proportion was 
higher than in most European 
countries. For instance, in France 
and Germany the proportion was 
between 40 per cent and 50 per cent.
 (ii) U nl i ke Europe, i n Russi a 
industrialisation started late. As 
a result, industry was found in 
pockets. Prominent industrial areas 
were St. Petersburg and Moscow. 
Craftsmen undertook much of the 
production but large factories existed 
alongside craft workshops.
 (iii) Russian peasants had no respect for 
the nobles who got their power and 
position through their services to the 
Tsar, not through local popularity. 
This was unlike France where, during 
the French Revolution in Britain, 
peasants respected nobles and even 
fought for them.
 (iv) In Russia, peasants were violent and 
frequently refused to pay rent and 
even murdered landlords. In 1905, 
such incidents took place all over 
Russia. This was not found in any 
of the European countries.
 (v) Unlike European peasants, Russian 
peasants pooled their land together 
periodically and their commune 
divided it according to the needs of 
individual families.
  Q3. Why did Tsarist autocracy collapse in 
1917?
 Ans. Several factors led to the collapse of 
Tsarist autocracy in Russia:
 (i) Tsar Nicholas II was not an efficient 
ruler. He still believed in the 
autocratic rights of the king. His 
policies brought deep dissatisfaction 
among the common mass.
 (ii) Tsarina Alexandra’s German origins 
and poor advisers, especially 
Rasputin, made the autocracy very 
unpopular.
 (iii) The bureaucracy that Tsar Nicholas 
II recruited was too inefficient. The 
recruitment of the members was 
done on the basis of privileges and 
patronage, not on merit. This was a 
major factor that paved the way for 
the downfall of Tsarist autocracy.
 (iv) Russia’s participation in the First 
World War proved disastrous for 
it. The war was initially popular in 
Russia and people rallied around Tsar 
Nicholas II. As the war continued, 
though, the Tsar refused to consult 
the main parties in the Duma, 
support were thin. Anti-German 
feeling ran high.
 (v) Russia’s army lost badly in Germany 
and Austria between 1914 and 1916. 
There were over 7 million casualties by 
1917. As they retreated, the Russian 
army destroyed crops and buildings 
to prevent the enemy from being able 
to live off the land. The destruction 
of crops and buildings led to over 
3 million refugees in Russia. 
The situation discredited the 
government and the Tsar.
 (vi) Peasants and workers formed large 
section of Russia’s population. But 
their condition was too miserable. 
The Tsar never paid even a slight 
attention to their condition.
  All the above-mentioned factors 
prepared such a condition in Russia 
in which Tsarist autocracy was 
bound to collapse.
  Q4. Make two lists: One with the main 
events and the effects of the February 
Revolution and the other with the 
main events and effects of the October 
Revolution. Write a paragraph on who 
was involved in each, who were the 
leaders and what was the impact of 
each on Soviet history.
 Ans. 1. The main events of the February 
Revolution:
 (i) In the winter of 1917, conditions 
in the capital, Petrograd were grim. 
There had been exceptional frost and 
heavy snow. This aggravated food 
problem. Food shortages were deeply 
felt in the workers’ quarters.
 (ii) Parliamentarians wishing to preserve 
elected government, were opposed 
to the Tsar’s desire to dissolve the 
Duma.
 (iii) On 22 February, a lockout took place 
at a factory on the right bank of the 
River Neva. The next day, workers 
in fifty factories called a strike in 
sympathy. In many factories, women 
led the way to strikes. Demonstrating 
workers crossed from the factory 
quarters to the centre of the capital, 
i.e. the Nevskii prospect. Soon the 
government imposed a curfew. 
Demonstrators dispersed by the 
evening, but they came back on the 
24th and 25th of February.
 (iv) They also came in force in the streets 
of the left bank of the River Neva on 
the 26th. On the right bank were 
the fashionable areas, the Winter 
Palace, and officials buildings. On 
the 27th, they ransacked the police 
headquarters. The streets thronged 
with people raising slogans about 
bread, wages, better hours and 
democracy.
 2. Effects of the February Revolution:
 (i) The Tsar abdicated on 2 March. 
Thus, monarchy was brought down. 
Soviet leaders and Duma leaders 
formed a provisional government to 
run the country.
 (ii) Russia’s future would be decided 
by a constituent assembly, elected 
on the basis of universal adult 
suffrage.
 3. The main events of the October 
Revolution:
 (i) The October Revolution occurred 
due to the conflict between the 
provisional government and the 
Bolsheviks, of which Lenin was the 
leader.
 (ii) Lenin feared the Provisional 
Government would set up a 
dictatorship. In September, he 
began discussions for an uprising 
against the government. Bolshevik 
supporters in the army, soviets and 
factories were brought together.
 (iii) On 16 October 1917, Lenin 
persuaded the Petrograd Soviet 
and the Bolshevik party to agree 
to a socialist seizure of power. A 
military revolutionary committee was 
appointed by the Soviet under Leon 
Trotski to organise the seizure. The 
date of the event was kept a secret.
 (iv) The uprising began on 24 October. 
Military men loyal to the provisional 
government under Kerenskii seized 
the buildings of two Bolshevik 
newspapers. Pro-government troops 
were sent to take over telephone 
and telegraph offices and protect the 
Winter Palace. In a swift response, 
the Military Revolutionary Committee 
ordered its supporters to seize 
government offices and arrest 
ministers. Late in the day, the ship 
Aurora shelled the Winter Palace. 
Other vessels sailed down the Neva 
and took over various military points. 
By nightfall, the city was under the 
committee’s control and the ministers 
had surrendered.
 (v) Uprising took place in other cities 
also, and by December the Bolshevik 
became successful in controlling the 
Moscow-Petrograd area.
 4. Effects of the October Revolution:
 (i) The October Revolution marked the 
beginning of Lenin’s rule over the 
Soviet, with Bolsheviks under his 
guidance. The Bolshevik Party was 
renamed the Russian Communist 
Party. Thus, the first communist 
regime was established in Russia.
 (ii) Most industry and banks were 
nationalised in November 1917. Land 
was declared social property and 
peasants were allowed to seize the 
land of the nobility.
 (iii) In cities, Bolsheviks enforced the 
partition of large houses according to 
family requirements. They banned the 
use of the old titles of aristocracy.
 (iv) The Bolsheviks made peace treaty 
with Germany at Brest Litovsk 
in March 1918. In the years that 
followed, the Bolsheviks became 
the only party to participate in 
the elections to the All-Russian 
Congress of Soviets, which became 
the Parliament of the country. Russia 
became a one-party state.
  Q5. What were the main changes brought 
about by the Bolsheviks immediately 
after the October Revolution?
 Ans. The following changes were brought 
about by the Bolsheviks immediately 
after the October Revolution:
 (i) The Bolsheviks were against private 
property. Hence, most industry and 
banks were nationalised.
 (ii) Land was declared social property 
and peasants were allowed to seize 
the land of the nobility.
 (iii) In cities, Bolsheviks enforced the 
partition of large houses according 
to family requirements.
 (iv) Old titles of aristocracy were banned.
 (v) New uniforms were designed for the 
army and officials.
 (vi) The Bolshevik Party was renamed 
the Russian Communist Party.
 (vii) The Bolsheviks made peace with 
Germany at Brest Litovsk.
 (viii) Russia became a one-party state.
 (ix) The All-Russian Congress of Soviets 
became the Parliament of the country.
 (x) Trade unions were kept under party 
control.
  Q6. Write a few lines to show what you 
know about:
 (i) Kulaks
 (ii) The Duma
 (iii) Women workers between 1900 and 
1930
 (iv) The Liberals
 (v) Stalin’s collectivisation programme
 Ans. (i) Kulaks
  Kulaks were the wealthy peasants 
of Russia. In 1927-28, the towns 
in Soviet Russia were facing acute 
problem of grain supplies. Stalin 
believed that these kulaks were 
holding stocks in the hope of higher 
prices. Hence, it was essential to 
eliminate them. As a result, many 
kulaks were raided. Their land was 
taken away in order to establish 
state-controlled large farms.