RBSE Class 9 Social Science Notes History Chapter 2 Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

These comprehensive RBSE Class 9 Social Science Notes History Chapter 2 Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution will give a brief overview of all the concepts.

RBSE Class 9 Social Science Notes History Chapter 2 Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

→ The Age of Social Change:
Liberals, Radicals and conservatives:

• After the french revolution, there was an age of social change circulated in Europe.
• Different sections sprouted up in Russian society such as Liberals, Radicals and conservatives with different ideas. During the French Revolution, there was a lot of conflict between these ideas.

→ Industrial society and social change:

• Liberals and radicals searched for solutions to the problems caused by industrialisation. Many working men and women who wanted changes in the world rallied around liberal and radical groups and parties in the early nineteenth century.
• Some nationalists, liberals and radicals wanted revolutions to put an end to the kind of governments established in Europe in 1815.

→ The coming socialism to Europe:

• By the mid-nineteenth century in Europe, socialism was a well-known body. It attracted widespread attention.
• Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels added other ideas to this body of arguments.

→ Support for socialism:

• By the 1870s, socialist ideas spread through Europe. To coordinate their efforts, socialists formed an international body- namely, the second International.
• By 1905, socialists and trade unionists formed a labour party in Britain and a
• socialists party in France.
• Till 1914, socialists never succeeded in forming a government in Europe.

→ The Russian Revolution:
Socialists took over the government in Russia through the October Revolution of 1917. The fall of monarchy in February 1917 and the events of October are normally called the Russian Revolution.

The social and political conditions of Russia at the time of revolution were as follows :
Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution
1. The Russian Empire in 1914:
In 1914, Tsar Nicholas II rules Russia and its empire. The majority religion was Russian Orthodox Christianity but the empire also included catholics, Protestants, Muslims and Buddhists.

2. Economy and Society:

• About 85 percent of the Russian empire's population earned their living from agriculture.
• Industry was found in pockets. Prominent industries areas were St. Petersburg and Moscow. Most industry was the private property of industrialists.
• Workers were a divided into social group.

3. Socialism in Russia:

• All political parties were illegal in Russia before 1914.
• The Russian social Democratic workers Party was founder in 1898.
• They formed the socialists Revolutionary Party in 1900.

4. A Turbulent Time:

• Russia was an autocracy.
• Real wages declined by 20 per cent with the increase in prices of essential goods in 1904.
• The membership of wokers associations rose dramatically.
• Workers went on strike. Workers were attaheed by the police and the cossacks and 100 workers were killed. The incident, known as Bloody Sunday, started a series of events that became known a the 1905 Revolution.

5. The First World War and the Russian Empire:

• In 1914, war broke out between two European alliances.
• Russia's armies lost badly in Germany and Austria between 1914 and 1916.
• The war also had a severe impact on industry.
• There were labour shortages and bread and flour become scarce.

→ The February Revolution in Petrograd
By the October 1917, the socialists took over the power of Russia. The fall of the monarchy in February 1917, and the events of October is called the Russian Revolution.

→ What Changed after October

• After the October Revolution of 1914, there were many changes in Russia. The Bolshevik Party was renamed the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik).
• There was a fierce civil war in Russia from 1914 to 1920. By January 1920, the Bolsheviks controlled most of the former Russian empire.
• By 1927-1928, the towns in soviet Russia were facing an acute problem of grain supplies. From 1929, the Party forced all peasants to cultivate in collective forms (Kolkhoz). In spite of collectivisation, production did not increase immediately.

→ The Global Influence of the Russian Revolution and the USSR:
The Russian Revolution had a wide impact on the world. The USSRhad given socialism a global face and world stature. By the end of the twentieth century, the international reputation of the USSR as a socialist country had declined.