Question Bank in History with answers

 Question Bank with Answer:  History

 French Revolution

1. Describe any three features of the 18th century French Society.      3m to 5m
    Ans: 1. Hierarychy based with social and political division :            Divided into three estates (classes)that is clergy , nobles          and ordinary people with ranking of I, II and III .
         2.feudal based importance was given to possession of the            land : Those who possessed more lands became feudal lords. 
         3. Loyalty based . ii estate was loyal to first and iii              estate was loyal to ii. The loyalty feature made them to            live in feudal bondage. Feudal society created inequality            in terms of economic, social and political advantages.

2. What is the motto of French Society ? 1m
   Ans: "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity"

3. Name the taxes which were imposed by french government in 
   18th century. 1m
   Ans: 1.Taille (State Tax : directly to be paid to state)  
        2. Tithe (Religious tax directly to be paid to the Church           1/10 portion of the Agricultural production)
4. Who were jacobins? 3m

   Ans: The Jacobins were the most radical and ruthless of the               political groups formed in the wake of the French                   Revolution, and in association with Robespierre they                 instituted the Terror of 1793 to 1794 
    

5. Give a note on the third estate. 3m

   Ans:  The 3rd estate was the bulk population of the French society in 18th century before the French Revoliton. The 3rd estate consisted of peasants, farmers, lawyers, some   middle class minsters, etc and they all had to pay taxes all together the whole 3rd estate had one vote to represent in the National Assembly.    

6. Who was Robo Spierre? 1m 
    Ans: Robo Spierre (6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and politician, one of the best known and most influential figures associated with the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.

7. Who invented Gullitone machine ? And what was it ? 3m
   Ans: Joseph Gullitone a Physician.It was a beheading machine ( A machine designed for beheading people quickly and with minimal pain. It was designed during the French Revolution and was used as the official method of execution in France until the twentieth century.

    

8. Why Robo Spierre was guillitoned ? 2m
    Ans: He is perhaps best known for his role in the French             Revolution's Reign of Terror.
    The Terror ended a few months later with Robespierre's arrest       and execution in July,events that initiated a period in French       history known as the Thermidorian Reaction.

9. Describe any five causes which led to the french revolution in      brief. 5m

   Ans: 1. 18th century french Society based on inequality
           where majority of the population was of ordinary 
           people with different professions like peasantry
           shop keeping, different works etc. were suffered a 
           a lot with the dominance of upper classes of clergy
           and nobility.
        2. For each estate (class) only one vote representation
           was allowed in which the majority section that is 
           iii estate was suffered a lot for getting only one 
           vote and was not significant in national assembly 
           decisions.
        3. External Debt: The king involved with external debt 
           which made the economy dependent and inactive.
        4. Subsistence crisis: French peple faced it due to increase of the population from 23 million in 1715 to 25 million in 1789  Which made the people to suffer a lot so the people got frustrated
           and their voice became against the rulers.
        5. The Role of the Revolutionaries: They expressed their 
           dissatification through their writings, thoughts, 
           activities and many more.

10. Name the ruler of France when revolution took place ? 1m
   Ans: 

11. Name the women revoltee in the french revolution. 1m
    Ans: 

12. Give a note on the structure of the french society. 3m
    Ans:
13. What do you mean by the New Convention ? 3m
    Ans:The National Convention (French: Convention nationale) was the third government of the FrenchRevolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the one-year Legislative Assembly.
14. Write a note on the reforms carried out by Napoleon ? 3m     
    Ans: When you hear the name Napoleon, it’s almost always connected with war. However, there was more to his life than the battlefield; an aspect remains that is too often neglected is his reforms.

Reforms in Law:

In 1804, Napoleon took on the legal system of France. The system of laws was in a state of chaos. Laws were not codified and were based on Roman law, ancient custom or monarchial paternalism. During  the revolution, many laws were changed. It was difficult to determine what law applied in any given situation, and laws were not equally applied to everyone.

The mishmash of laws were codified and written clearly so that the people could determine what law applied. It incorporated much of the Roman law. For the first time in history, the law was based on reason and founded on the notion  that all men were equal before the law. It guaranteed individual rights (except for women and blacks) and the security of property. In short it codified many of the ideals of the revolution. The Napoleonic Code became profoundly influential to other European countries in the 19th century.

Reforms in Government:

Napoleon centralized the government, putting control firmly in the hands of the national government. It became more efficient. Advancement in the civil service and the military was based on merit rather than rank. The tax system was applied equally to all.

Reforms in Education:

Napoleon built many new lycees, schools for boys age 10 to 16. He recognized the importance of education in producing citizens capable of filling positions in his bureaucracy and military. Although he did not create a system of mass education, education was more available to the middle class than it ever had been before. At a meeting in 1807 he declared:

Of all our institutions public education is the most important. Everything depends on it, the present and the future. It is essential that the morals and political ideas of the generation which is now growing up should no longer be dependent upon the news of the day or the circumstances of the moment. Above all we must secure unity: we must be able to cast a whole generation in the same mould.

He saw education as a way of indoctrinating "right-thinking" citizens from an early age. He didn't see the need to educate girls, since they could learn everything they needed from their mothers. They were not to be active citizens. As one might suspect, basic female rights were, unfortunately, ignored for much of Western Civilization and it was not until the late 19th century/early 20th century that an educated female population was socially acceptable.

At the end of the day, although Napoleon was viewed by many as a ruthless dictator, in certain ways, he did help his subjects by making laws that were previously enacted much more simpler and easy to understand, centralized the government, making it more efficient, and increased education (albeit only for French males).

15. Name the philosophers connected with french revolution and 
    write the names of books written by them  3m
    Ans: 1. Rousseau wrote The Social Contract
         2. Montesque wrote The Spirit of Laws
16. Who was the popular woman leader connected with french               revolution ? 1m  
   
       
17. Name any two symbols of french revolution and write their           importance.  5m 
    Ans: e.g. 1. The Red Phrygian Cap or Liberty Cap  for liberty
              2. Broken chains -- for indicating freedom
               

18. Who was the author of the book Social contract ? 1m
    Ans: Rousseau

19.  Name the taxes which were imposed on the iii estate in the
    18th century France . 2m
    Ans: Taille and Tithe

   

20. What do you mean by directory rule ? 2m
    Ans:The Directory was a five-member committee which governed France from 1795, when it replaced the Committee of Public Safety, until it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Coup of 18 Brumaire (8–9 November 1799) and replaced by the French Consulate.

     Socialism and Russian Revolution 

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1: Name two prominent industrial areas of Russia in the 1890s.

Ans: St. Peters burg and Moscow.

2: What were the social, economic and political conditions spread before 1905?
Ans: A large section of the Russian Population was depended upon agriculture.
Some industries developed in some of the areas.The Russia was under the rule of 
Tzar rulers.The peasants were used to work with a large tradition of working in communes. The industrial workers too uninted and were used to fight for their rights in the factories with the method of strikes.

3: What is ‘Bloody Sunday’ ?

Ans: In January 1905, on one Sunday, the workers took out a peaceful procession led by Father Gapon in order to present a petition to Tsar. But when the procession reached the Winter Palace, they were attacked by the Police and Cossacks who fired at indiscriminately resulting in the death of more than a hundred workers while many more were wounded. Because of this massacre, the said Sunday in history is known as the ‘Bloody Sunday’ which started a series of events that became to be known as the 1905 Revolution.    

4: In what ways the working population of Russia was different from other countries of Europe , before 1917 ?

Ans: Compare to other parts of the Europe,A large section of the Russian Population was depended upon agriculture.Some industries developed in some of the areas.The peasants were used to work with a large tradition of working in communes. The industrial workers too uninted and were used to fight for their rights in the factories with the method of strikes.   

5.Why did the Tsarist government collapse in 1917 ?

Ans: The Tsar ruler first dismissed the two dumas and then packed the Parliament with the conservatives.During the first world war the Tsar ruler took decision without cosulting the Duma. Large scale causalities of the Russian soldiers in the war further alienated people from the Tsar. Burning of the crops and building by the retreating Russian armies created huge shortage of food in Russia. All these causes led to the Russian Revolution.

6. Give a list of main events and effects of the February 
   Revolution. 

Ans: February Revolution: 
     Main Events of February Revolution: 
     1. on 22nd February A Factory was lockedout.
     2. Against the demonstrations in the centre of the capital 
        curfew was imposed. 
     3. 25th February the Duma was suspended.

        Effects of the February Revolution: 

     4. On 27th February the Soviets were formed.
     5. on 2nd March the Tsar ruler leaves powers and 
        a Provincial government was formed.
      
7. Give a list of main events and effects of the October Revolution 
   and its Effects. 
Ans: Main Events of October Revolution: 
     1. On 16th October Military Revolutionary Committee was formed.
     2. On 24th October the Pro-government troops were called to 
        deal with the situation.
     3. The Military Revolutionary Committee controls the city by night and 
        and the ministers surrender.

     Effects of the October Revolution: 

     1. The Bolsheviks controlled the power.
     2. Under the leadership of Lenin the Bolsheviks this event paved the way
        for full control of Bolsheviks all over the Russia and a single party
        rule was initiated.
      
8. Who was Lenin? What were his three demands?

Ans: Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik Party in Russia. His three demands were -

(1) War to be ended.

(2) Land to be transferred to the peasants.

(3) Banks to be nationalized. 

9: Give the names of two Indian authors who wrote about Soviet socialism.

Ans: Rabindranath Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru. 

10: Who were ‘Bolsheviks’ ?

Ans: Bolsheviks were the majority group of the workers of Russia, who under the leadership of Lenin, believed in the revolutionary methods for bringing about changes in the society and the state. In their opinion, the parliamentary methods would not be able to bring about any changes in a country like Russia where no democratic rights existed and where there was no Parliament. Ultimately, it was these Bolsheviks who were able to bring about a successful revolution in Russia in 1917 and they changed the whole structure of the state and the society.    

11: Who were ‘Mensheviks’ ?

Ans: Mensheviks were the other part of the Russian workers who believed in Parliamentary methods and participation in elections for running the state and the society. This group was in minority and hence, its members were known as ‘Mensheviks’. These people favoured parties as were existing in France and Germany which took part in elections to the legislature of their countries. But this party failed to achieve anything because the Tsar of Russia did not believe in Parliamentary methods.  

12: What is meant by Russian Steam Roller ?

Ans: This was the name given to the Imperial Russian Army.

13: Who was Marfa Vasileva ?

Ans: Marfa Vasileva was a brave woman worker, a milling machine operator, who organized a successful strike on her own capacity. 

14: Give single reason why did peasants greet the October Revolution.

Ans: Because October Revolution meant for them free land and an end of war. 

15: Define the term ‘Autocracy’.

Answer: Autocracy is the system of government where the ruler is all in all and the people have no power and right.

16: Outline the main objectives of the Russian Revolutionaries.

Answer: The Russian Revolution took place in Russia in 1917. The following were the main demands and objectives of the Russian Revolutionaries:

• To bring peace in Russia.
• Allotment of land to Tillers or Cultivators.
• Control of Industry by its Workers.
• Equal Status for the Non-Russian Nationalities. 

17: Outline the important and immediate effects of the Russian Revolution on Russia.

Ans: The most important and immediate effects of Russian Revolution on Russia were:

• End of autocratic rule and Russian imperialism.
• Bringing Government of Proletarians.
• New social set-up and a new society on the basis of Communism.
• Some major economic changes.
• Russia started to be counted as a World Power and a main player in the World Politics.

18.What were the main changes brought about the Bolsheviks immediately after the October Revolution ?
Ans:1. In November 1917most of the Banks were nationalised.
    2. The government took over the ownership and management.
    3. Land was declared social property.
    4. Peasants were allowed to seize the lands of nobles.
    5. In cities large houses were partitioned as per family requirement.
    6. Old titles of Aristocracy was banned.
19. What do you mean by "Klaks" ?
Ans: The Wealthy land owners were called Klaks.
    Stalin was suspicious over their hoarding and during the collectivization of farming kulaks were raided and their lands were seized. 

20. What is Duma ?
Ans: Duma is the Russian Parliament.The first duma was constituted in 1905.

21.Give two main features of Communism.

Ans: 1. According to communism, both capitalism and private properties are evil and need to be abolished. 2. Everybody should have right work and it is the workers, who should have control over the means of production, not the capitalists.

22. Give a note on the women workers between 1900 and 1930.
Ans: 1.In Russia there were one-third workers were women only.
2. Especially during the war years the number of women workers was increased becuase the able bodied men were called for wartime duties.

23. Give a note on the Liberals. 
Ans: 1. Liberals wanted a change in the society.
2.They wanted toleration towards all religions.
3.They opposed the uncontrolled power of the dynastic rulers.
4.They wanted to safeguard the rights of individuals.
5.They favoured the representative elected Parliament form of government.
6.Some of the liberalist ideas were not good. Because they did not favour the Universal Adult Franchisee.
7.They wanted voiting right to only men.

24.Briefly explain about the collectivization of farming which was introduced by 
   the USSR President Joseph Stalin ?
Ans: 1. Joseph Stalin felt that the collectivization of farming will lead to supply of grains all over the Russia.
2. The bulk ofland and implements were transfered to the ownership of collective farming. 
3. Many peasants protested such attempts and destroyed livestock to show their anger.
4. Collectivization did not bring the desired results in the food supply situation even worse in the subsequent years.

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3. Rise of Nazism and Hitler