Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution – Long Answer Type Questions
CBSE
CBSE Class 9 — History
Chapter 2: Socialism in Europe & the Russian Revolution — 30 Long Answer Questions (NCERT-aligned)
NCERT • Class 9
CBSE Board Examinations — How these LAQs help
- Designed for 8–10 mark answers: concise, structured and exam-focused with headings, bullets and dates where relevant.
- Topic-wise layout follows NCERT chapter flow for targeted revision and classroom assessment.
Content Bank
The age of social change | The Russian Revolution | The February Revolution in Petrograd | What changed after October | Global influence of the Russian Revolution and the USSR
The Age of Social Change — (Questions 1–6)
1. Explain the social and economic changes that gave rise to socialist ideas in nineteenth‑century Europe.
Answer (structured)
Context: The Industrial Revolution transformed production — factories replaced crafts, and people migrated to urban centres.
- Economic change: Rise of wage labour, concentration of capital, and unequal distribution of wealth.
- Social impact: Growth of an industrial working class facing long hours, low pay, and unsafe conditions.
- Political effect: Existing elites resisted reforms; liberal reforms were slow, creating space for radical critiques.
Conclusion: Socialist thinkers offered alternative frameworks—collective ownership, redistribution and rights for workers—addressing the inequalities produced by industrial capitalism.
2. Discuss Karl Marx’s analysis of capitalism and why it appealed to workers.
Answer (structured)
Core ideas:
- History is shaped by class struggles between those who own the means of production (bourgeoisie) and those who sell labour (proletariat).
- Capitalism exploits labour to generate surplus value for owners; crises are inherent to the system.
Appeal to workers: Marx provided a diagnosis of exploitation and offered a vision of emancipation through collective action, making his ideas influential among factory workers and intellectuals.
3. Compare revolutionary and reformist approaches within socialist movements.
Answer (structured)
- Revolutionary socialists: Advocated overthrow of capitalist institutions and establishment of a classless society (e.g., Marxist emphasis on revolution).
- Reformist socialists: Favoured gradual improvement through trade unions, legislation and state intervention (e.g., social democratic approaches).
Implication: The split shaped strategies: one aimed for systemic change, the other for incremental social protection and rights within existing structures.
4. Explain how trade unions and workers’ organisations contributed to political change.
Answer (structured)
- Trade unions organised collective bargaining for better wages and conditions and used strikes to exert pressure.
- Workers' clubs and mutual aid societies spread political education and fostered solidarity.
- These organisations served as bases for political mobilisation and influenced the growth of socialist parties.
5. Describe the role of print culture — pamphlets, newspapers and clubs — in spreading socialist ideas.
Answer (structured)
Print materials and clubs were crucial for communication and education:
- Pamphlets simplified complex ideas for workers; newspapers reported strikes and injustices.
- Clubs provided discussion spaces where ideas could be debated and leaders emerged.
These networks linked urban centres and helped form a common language of rights and demands.
6. Analyse why socialist ideas were more influential in urban industrial regions than in rural areas.
Answer (structured)
- Urban workers experienced concentrated factory conditions and shared grievances, creating a receptive audience.
- Rural peasants often focused on land issues and local customs; their social structures differed and so did the appeal of socialist industrial solutions.
- Infrastructure (printing presses, clubs) was stronger in cities, aiding spread of ideas.
Russian Context & Causes of the Revolution — (Questions 7–12)
7. Explain the social and political structure of pre‑1917 Russia and why it was vulnerable to revolution.
Answer (structured)
- Autocracy: Tsar held centralized power; limited political representation.
- Social hierarchy: Large peasant majority with land hunger, small urban working class with poor conditions, and privileged nobility and clergy.
- Vulnerabilities: Economic backwardness, defeats in wars, and inability of reforms (like Duma) to address core grievances created pressure for a popular upheaval.
8. Discuss the significance of the 1905 Revolution for Russia’s political development.
Answer (structured)
- 1905 combined strikes, peasant unrest and military mutiny, signalling broad social discontent.
- It forced concessions — creation of the Duma — but reforms were limited and did not remove autocratic power, leaving unresolved tensions open for future conflict.
9. How did Russia’s involvement in World War I accelerate revolutionary conditions?
Answer (structured)
- Military defeats and heavy casualties undermined confidence in the regime.
- Economic strain produced shortages of food and fuel; transport breakdowns caused urban suffering.
- Returning soldiers and discontented workers joined protests, broadening the revolutionary base.
10. Compare the positions of the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks on party organisation and strategy.
Answer (structured)
- Bolsheviks: Advocated a disciplined, centralized party of professional revolutionaries to lead the working class to power (Lenin).
- Mensheviks: Favoured broader membership and cooperation with liberal democratic forces; gradual transition.
Outcome: Bolshevik organisation allowed decisive action in 1917, while Mensheviks’ broader strategy proved less cohesive politically.
11. Explain the role of soviets (workers’ and soldiers’ councils) in 1917 Russia.
Answer (structured)
- Soviets emerged as grassroots representative bodies giving voice to workers and soldiers.
- They coordinated strikes, organised local governance and posed a parallel authority to the Provisional Government, becoming focal points for Bolshevik influence.
12. Identify and explain two immediate economic grievances that fuelled unrest in Petrograd.
Answer (structured)
- Food shortages: Scarcity and high bread prices led to hunger and urban protests.
- Fuel and transport breakdowns: Disrupted supplies increased hardship and unemployment, intensifying anger against authorities.
The February Revolution in Petrograd — (Questions 13–18)
13. Describe the sequence of events that led from strikes and protests to the abdication of Nicholas II in February 1917.
Answer (structured)
- Mass protests over food shortages in Petrograd escalated to general strikes.
- Soldiers mutinied and refused orders to fire on crowds, tipping the balance.
- With the army’s support withdrawn, the Tsar lost coercive power and abdicated, ending centuries of autocracy.
14. Explain the concept of ‘dual power’ after February 1917 and its implications.
Answer (structured)
‘Dual power’ referred to the coexistence of the Provisional Government and the soviets. While the government claimed formal authority, soviets held grassroots legitimacy. This division produced policy paralysis and provided space for radical actors to challenge the government’s decisions.
15. Analyse why the Provisional Government’s continuation of the war was politically costly.
Answer (structured)
- Continuing the war meant more casualties and shortages—unpopular among soldiers, workers and peasants.
- It signalled continuity with the old regime and diminished hope for immediate peace, undermining the Government’s reformist legitimacy.
16. What strategies did the Bolsheviks use to increase their influence between February and October 1917?
Answer (structured)
- Clear radical slogans ('Peace, Land and Bread') addressed immediate demands.
- Organised within soviets and factory committees to build grassroots support.
- Used disciplined party structure to act decisively during crises, contrasting with the Provisional Government’s indecision.
17. Assess the role of popular demands (land, peace, bread) in shaping the course of 1917.
Answer (structured)
- These demands encapsulated core grievances: immediate relief (bread), end to war (peace), and social justice (land).
- Parties and movements that promised realistic answers (Bolsheviks) gained mass support, altering the balance of political power.
18. How did soldiers and sailors contribute to revolutionary success in 1917?
Answer (structured)
Soldiers and sailors were pivotal: their mutinies deprived the regime of force, while their soviets provided organisational and moral support to revolutionary movements. Their participation transformed protests into a broader revolutionary movement capable of shifting political outcomes.
What Changed After October — (Questions 19–24)
19. Explain the key events and outcome of the October (Bolshevik) Revolution.
Answer (structured)
- In October 1917, Bolshevik-led forces seized strategic points in Petrograd and arrested members of the Provisional Government.
- The Bolsheviks proclaimed a new government (Sovnarkom) promising peace, land and workers' control.
- Outcome: end of the Provisional Government and beginning of Bolshevik rule; set the stage for civil war and state reorganisation.
20. Discuss the major economic policies introduced by the Bolsheviks in the early years and their effects.
Answer (structured)
- Nationalisation: Banks and key industries were nationalised to centralise control.
- Land redistribution: Estates were seized and redistributed to peasants.
- War Communism: Emergency requisitioning during the civil war sustained the Red Army but caused economic dislocation and peasant resistance.
- NEP: Introduced later to stabilise the economy by allowing limited private trade.
21. Analyse the causes and consequences of the Russian Civil War (1918–1921).
Answer (structured)
- Causes: Opposition to Bolshevik centralisation, foreign intervention, and regional divisions.
- Consequences: Severe human and economic costs, consolidation of Bolshevik power after victory, and establishment of authoritarian measures to maintain control.
22. How did the Bolshevik approach to political pluralism change after they took power?
Answer (structured)
Initially promising soviet democracy, the Bolsheviks increasingly suppressed rival parties, restricted press freedoms and used coercive institutions (Cheka) to eliminate opposition, resulting in one-party dominance and limited pluralism.
23. Evaluate the social reforms implemented by the Bolshevik government in the first years.
Answer (structured)
- Reforms included legal equality, secular education, and rights for women (e.g., divorce and property rights).
- While symbolic gains were significant, economic hardship during war and centralised planning limited immediate social improvements for many citizens.
24. Explain why the New Economic Policy (NEP) was introduced and its main features.
Answer (structured)
- Reason: War Communism had devastated the economy and provoked unrest; NEP (1921) aimed to revive agriculture and trade.
- Features: Allowed limited private trade, small-scale private manufacturing and market relations while the state retained control of heavy industry.
- Impact: Economic recovery and temporary relaxation of state control, but also tensions between market mechanisms and socialist goals.
The Global Influence of the Revolution & the USSR — (Questions 25–30)
25. Describe how the Russian Revolution inspired anti‑colonial movements in Asia and Africa.
Answer (structured)
The Revolution demonstrated that imperial powers could be challenged; Soviet anti‑imperialist rhetoric, material assistance and the appeal of socialist redistribution provided ideological and sometimes practical support for nationalist leaders and leftist organisers in colonies, influencing movements for independence.
26. Explain the role of the USSR in supporting international communist movements in the interwar period.
Answer (structured)
- The Comintern (Communist International) coordinated parties abroad, provided training and promoted global revolution.
- Soviet propaganda and material aid helped communist parties in Europe, Asia and Latin America, shaping global leftist politics.
27. Assess the mixed international perceptions of the Soviet experiment among Western intellectuals and politicians.
Answer (structured)
- Some intellectuals admired rapid industrialisation and social welfare aims; others condemned repression and lack of democracy.
- Politicians often saw the USSR as a geopolitical rival and ideological threat, shaping foreign policy and alliances in the twentieth century.
28. Explain how the USSR’s model of planned economy differed from capitalist economies.
Answer (structured)
- Planned economy: centralised decisions on production, investment and distribution guided by state plans (e.g., Five‑Year Plans).
- Capitalist economy: market-driven allocation through prices, private ownership and competition.
- Difference: emphasis on state control vs market mechanisms; different incentives and outcomes (rapid industrialisation vs efficiency/innovation trade-offs).
29. Discuss the long-term political legacy of the Russian Revolution for 20th-century global politics.
Answer (structured)
- It inspired socialist and communist movements worldwide and provided an alternate state model.
- Contributed to ideological polarisation (Cold War) between capitalist and socialist blocs after World War II.
- Left a legacy of debates on development, social rights and state intervention that shaped policy choices globally.
30. Summarise the historical significance of the Russian Revolution and the USSR in one paragraph suitable for exam conclusions.
Answer (structured)
The Russian Revolution transformed a centuries-old autocracy into the world's first large-scale socialist state, introducing radical social and economic reforms and inspiring global movements. While it achieved industrialisation and expanded social services, it also led to centralised power and political repression. Its legacy is complex: a mix of pioneering social policies and cautionary lessons about authoritarian governance — a central theme in twentieth-century world history.
Note: These Long Answer Questions are prepared strictly according to NCERT Chapter 2 and are trimmed for 8–10 mark practice. Use dates, names and cause-effect links in your answers for maximum marks.