Chapter 7 · Topic 7.3 · Prelims + Mains3 of 3
Russian Revolution: Chapter test
Key points
- Lenin's NEP (1921) allowed small private trade while the state kept the 'commanding heights'.
- USSR formed December 1922; Stalin's Five-Year Plans began in 1928.
- The Revolution inspired communists and anti-colonial leaders worldwide, including in India (CPI, Tashkent 1920).
Prelims box: facts and traps
- NEP: 1921; tax in kind replaced grain seizure; 'Nepmen'.
- Comintern: 1919. CPI: Tashkent 1920 (M. N. Roy), Kanpur 1925.
- Lenin died: January 1924.
The New Economic Policy (1921)
War Communism had left Russia starving. NEP was like loosening a too-tight belt so the economy could breathe.
| Feature | In simple words |
|---|---|
| Tax in kind | Replaced requisitioning; peasants could sell surplus |
| Private trade | Small businesses and retail allowed (the ‘Nepmen’) |
| Commanding heights | Heavy industry, banks and foreign trade stayed with the state |
| Result | Recovery to pre-war output by about 1926–27 |
| End | Stalin’s Five-Year Plans (from 1928) and forced collectivisation |
| USSR | Formed December 1922; Lenin died January 1924 |
“Tax in kind” means paying tax with part of your crop, not money. The “commanding heights” are the key sectors that control the economy.
For the question below: India’s mixed economy, state-run key industries and Five-Year Plans echo the Soviets, but India kept democracy and private property.
The New Economic Policy – 1921 of Lenin had influenced the policies adopted by India soon after independence. Evaluate.
Impact of the Revolution
| Impact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First socialist state | An alternative model to capitalism; planning, universal education and health |
| Comintern (1919) | Spread communist parties worldwide; the Communist Party of India (Tashkent, 1920; Kanpur, 1925) |
| Anti-colonialism | Support for national liberation; inspired Nehru, Bhagat Singh and M. N. Roy |
| Fear of communism | Fed fascism in Europe and, later, the Cold War |
| Costs | One-party dictatorship, terror and Stalin’s purges |
The Comintern, or Communist International, was Moscow’s body for spreading communism abroad. For the second question, put the Russian Revolution beside Wilson’s self-determination, the Irish struggle and the Depression.
What were the major political, economic, and social developments in the world which motivated the anti- colonial struggle in India?
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- NEP and India (Mains 2014): mixed economy, commanding heights and planning echo the Soviets; India kept democracy and private property.
- World events behind India's freedom struggle (Mains 2014): Russian Revolution, Wilson's self-determination, the Irish struggle, the Depression.
Practice
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of Russian Revolution with one recent example.
Flashcards (4)
NEP year?
1921.
USSR formed?
December 1922.
Comintern founded?
1919.
Where was the CPI first formed abroad?
Tashkent, 1920 (M. N. Roy).
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