Class IX Social Science History - Vocabulary Flashcards: Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the Class IX notes on Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution.

Suffragette movement

A campaign to win women’s right to vote, started in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and supported by women’s groups such as Britain’s WSPU, using protests, petitions, and demonstrations.

Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU)

A British women’s organization that campaigned for women’s suffrage and organized public demonstrations and protests.

1905 Revolution (Revolution of 1905)

Widespread unrest in Russia due to poor economic conditions, political repression, and military failures, with demands for reforms and a more representative government.

Provisional Government

The temporary government established after Tsar Nicholas II abdicated during the 1917 February Revolution.

Bloody Sunday (January 22, 1905)

The killing of peaceful protesters in St. Petersburg by soldiers, triggering national outrage and further unrest.

Central Asia (reactions to the Russian Revolution)

Varied responses due to different local concerns; some supported reforms while others feared loss of culture or local autonomy.

Pre-1905 conditions in Russia

Deep inequality; peasants in poverty; nobles owning land; harsh working conditions for industrial workers; autocratic rule under the Tsar.

Liberals

Supporters of individual rights and limited government intervention, often backing free markets and personal liberty.

Democrats

Advocates for broad political participation and government action to reduce social inequalities and promote fairness.

Working population before 1917 (Russia)

Many workers were peasants or in agriculture; industrial workers faced poor conditions, low wages, and long hours; comparatively less industrial development and political power than in Western Europe.

Radicals

People who push for quick, fundamental changes to society and politics, often favoring revolutionary action over gradual reform.

Socialism (features)

An ideology with collective ownership, aim of economic equality, and a strong government role in managing the economy and providing services.

Collective ownership

Ownership of resources and enterprises by the community or the state, not by private individuals.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private ownership and profit; profits arise when workers are paid less than the value of their output, leading to inequality.

Karl Marx

19th-century philosopher-economist who critiqued capitalism, argued workers are exploited, and predicted capitalism would be replaced by socialism.

February Revolution (1917)

The 1917 uprising that led to Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication and the establishment of a provisional government.

October Revolution (1917)

Bolshevik-led seizure of power in 1917, leading to a communist state and major social changes.

Bolsheviks

Radical socialist faction led by Lenin that seized power in October 1917 and established the Soviet state.

Lenin

Leader of the Bolsheviks who guided the October Revolution and the early Soviet state.

Duma

A legislative body created in 1905 by Tsar Nicholas II; had limited powers and demonstrated reform but not full democracy.

Conservatives

Those who favor traditional values, stability, and gradual reform, opposing rapid or revolutionary change.

Peasants and nobles (19th-century Russia)

A hierarchical relationship where peasants labored on noble lands controlled by nobles, marked by poverty and limited rights for peasants.

Mazzini

Italian revolutionary and thinker who founded Young Italy and promoted democratic ideals and national unification.

Young Italy

Mazzini’s organization aimed at unifying Italy into an independent republic with democratic ideals.

Socialists

People who advocate for shared ownership of wealth and resources and coordinated international efforts to achieve social justice.

Socialist International

An international body coordinating socialist and labour parties worldwide.

Kulaks

Wealthier peasants who owned larger farms; targeted during Stalin’s collectivization, facing confiscation and repression.

Stalin’s collectivization

A policy to merge individual farms into large state-controlledcollectives, forcing peasants to join and disrupting rural life.

Nationalization of industries

Transfer of private industries to state ownership after the October Revolution.

Land redistribution

Policy of transferring land from large landowners to peasants after the October Revolution.

Bolshevik government positives

Post-October Revolution reforms: nationalization of industries, land redistribution, expanded social services, and improved workers’ rights.