class 9 sst ch 2 ncert soulation
Answers
Question-1
Solution:
The following were the social, economic, and political conditions in Russia before 1905.
(a) Social Conditions: 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. The non-Russian nationalities were not treated equal to that of Russian nationalities. They were not given the freedom to follow their culture and language. Workers were divided into group on the basis of skill and training. Peasants formed their group called commune or mir.
(b) Economic conditions: The majority of Russians were agriculturists. Grain was the main item of export from Russia. Industries were few. Prominent industrial areas were St Petersburg and Moscow. Much of the production was done by the craftsmen. There were large factories alongside the craft workshops. With the expansion of the Russian rail network, foreign investment in factories grew. There were huge coal, iron and steel production. There were equal numbers of factory workers and craftsmen. The workers were exploited by capitalists who made their life miserable.
(c) Political Conditions: Russia was a monarchy. (Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia and its empire that extended to current-day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. It stretched to the Pacific and comprised today’s Central Asian states, as well as Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). The Tsars believed in the divine rights of kings. They were not responsible to the Parliament. All political parties were illegal in Russia.
question 4
Solution:
Anti-German sentiments in Russia were high owing to the First World War. Further, Tsarina Alexandra’s German origin and poor advisors made the autocracy unpopular. Russia suffered shocking defeats on the waterfront with millions of casualties. Crops and buildings were destroyed by the Russian army to prevent enemy having any advantage. It led to millions of refugees. Tsar was being cursed for this situation. Food shortage led to people rioting for food. The Russian army too shifted its loyalty and began supporting the revolutionaries.
A lockout took place at a factory on the right bank of Neva river in sympathy with the workers on the left bank on 22nd February. Women-led the way to strikes. The government imposed a curfew. Later the government suspended the Duma which resulted in sharp protests. The demonstrators ransacked the Police Headquarters and raised slogans about bread, wages, better hours and democracy.
The government called the cavalry but they refused to fire on the demonstrators. Soldiers and the striking workers gathered to form a ‘Soviet’ or ‘council’ in the building where the Duma met. This was the Petrograd Soviet. The very next day, when a delegation went to see the Tsar, the military commanders advised the Tsar to abdicate. Soviet leaders and Duma leaders formed a Provisional Government to run the country. The Tsarist autocracy thus collapsed in February 1917.
Question-6
Solution:
(i) Kulaks: They were the well-to-do peasants who were supposed to be holding stocks in the hope
of higher prices. They were raided so that they may be eliminated in order to develop modern farms and establish state-controlled large farms.
(ii) The Duma: The Duma was a consultative parliament that was created on the permission of the Tsar during the 1905 Revolution.
(iii) Women workers between 1900 and 1930: Women made up 31% of the factory labour force, but were paid between 1/2 and 3/4 of a man’s wages. They actively led the strikes in many factories. They even worked on collective farms.
(iv) The Liberals: They were a group which looked to change society. They wanted a nation which tolerated all religions and opposed the uncontrolled power of dynastic rulers. They argued for a representative, elected parliamentary government subject to laws interpreted by a well-trained judiciary independent of rulers and officials.
(v) Stalin’s collectivisation programme: Stalin hoped to solve the problem of food shortage by combining small farms with large and modern farms. This was collectivisation programme that began in 1929. Peasants were forced to work in these state-controlled collective farms called Kolkhoz.