The Russian Revolution and the creation of the Soviet Union

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card A (today): “Revelations from the Russian Archives: Internal Workings of the Soviet Union”. Who made it: historians at the Library of Congress. For whom: visitors to an online exhibit. Why: to show how the Soviet state worked. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Cheka was set up in December 1917, and a civil war followed from 1918 to 1921. In 1921, while famine raged, Lenin began the New Economic Policy, and US famine relief began that year. In 1922 the Cheka became the GPU. Context (what else was happening): Written today, from the library's collections of Russian archives. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is an exhibit summary; it says little about the opponents' view.

2. 1.

   Ari weighs what helped the Bolsheviks keep power in 1918 to 1921. Which reading do the chart and card A support?

   • The New Economic Policy won the Civil War, since the chart lists it in 1921 as the war ended
   • The Cheka decided it, since the chart says it acted against opponents during the Civil War
   • The Red Army and the Cheka were both at work, but the cards do not say which mattered more
   • Popular support decided it, since the Red Army defeated many opponents in the Civil War
3. 2.

   The New Economic Policy began in 1921 while famine raged. What does the chart suggest about its effect on Bolshevik rule, Bo?

   • It ended one-party rule, since small trade returned and the economy began to recover from the war
   • It let small trade return and helped recovery, while the party kept political control
   • It ended the Cheka, since recovery began and the war was over by 1921
   • It was forced on Lenin by the United States, since US relief began in 1921 as well

4. Use this

   Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card B (today): “Treaty on the Creation of the Soviet Union”. Who made it: a historian at the Law Library of Congress. For whom: readers of a library blog. Why: to describe the treaty of 1922. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The treaty creating the Soviet Union was adopted on December 30, 1922, by representatives of Belarus, Russia, the Transcaucasian republic and Ukraine. Context (what else was happening): Written on the treaty's anniversary, in a series on legal documents. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It records the adoption of the treaty, not whether the republics chose freely.

5. 3.

   The treaty of 1922 joined four republics; the chart says one party ruled them and the state was run from Moscow. What is best supported, Esme?

   • A Russian conquest, since Russia annexed the other three as Prussia annexed Hanover in 1866
   • A treaty of no importance, since a party that rules the four republics can ignore any treaty
   • A union in form, but one party ruled the four republics from Moscow, so power was centralized
   • A union of equals, since four republics signed and so each republic held its own share of power

6. Use this

   Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card A (today): “Revelations from the Russian Archives: Internal Workings of the Soviet Union”. Who made it: historians at the Library of Congress. For whom: visitors to an online exhibit. Why: to show how the Soviet state worked. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Cheka was set up in December 1917, and a civil war followed from 1918 to 1921. In 1921, while famine raged, Lenin began the New Economic Policy, and US famine relief began that year. In 1922 the Cheka became the GPU. Context (what else was happening): Written today, from the library's collections of Russian archives. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is an exhibit summary; it says little about the opponents' view. Card D (invented for this sheet): a student's claim. “The New Economic Policy shows Lenin gave up on communism, since small trade came back.”

7. 4.

   Card D says the NEP shows Lenin gave up on communism. Jun tests the claim against the chart and card A. What is the best reply?

   • Wrong: card A says the NEP began in 1918, before the Civil War, so it could not be a retreat
   • Right: small trade returned, so Lenin must have given up political control of the state as well
   • Half right: small trade returned, but the party kept political control
   • Wrong: the NEP was a plan to end the famine, so it had nothing to do with communism

8. Use this

   Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card B (today): “Treaty on the Creation of the Soviet Union”. Who made it: a historian at the Law Library of Congress. For whom: readers of a library blog. Why: to describe the treaty of 1922. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The treaty creating the Soviet Union was adopted on December 30, 1922, by representatives of Belarus, Russia, the Transcaucasian republic and Ukraine. Context (what else was happening): Written on the treaty's anniversary, in a series on legal documents. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It records the adoption of the treaty, not whether the republics chose freely.

9. 5.

   A student says “The republics joined the Soviet Union because they wanted to.” Kira tests this against card B and the chart. What follows?

   • The claim cannot be judged, since a treaty is a legal paper and says nothing about anyone's wishes
   • The claim is wrong, since the chart says Russia ruled the others by force and so they had no choice
   • The claim is right, since representatives of the four republics adopted the treaty, which shows their peoples wanted it
   • Card B shows representatives adopted a treaty; no card shows what their peoples wanted or whether the choice was free

10. Use this

    Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card A (today): “Revelations from the Russian Archives: Internal Workings of the Soviet Union”. Who made it: historians at the Library of Congress. For whom: visitors to an online exhibit. Why: to show how the Soviet state worked. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Cheka was set up in December 1917, and a civil war followed from 1918 to 1921. In 1921, while famine raged, Lenin began the New Economic Policy, and US famine relief began that year. In 1922 the Cheka became the GPU. Context (what else was happening): Written today, from the library's collections of Russian archives. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is an exhibit summary; it says little about the opponents' view.

11. 6.

    Card A is a library exhibit made today from Russian archives. How good a guide is it to the Cheka's founding, Milo?

    • A fair guide to its founding and dates; records from the time would be needed for its methods
    • Complete, since it draws on the Russian archives and so knows what the Cheka did in each case
    • Poor, since an exhibit made today cannot use records from the time and so reports just opinion
    • Biased, since a library in the United States must be hostile to the Soviet state in what it writes

12. Use this

    Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card C (today): “Recognition of the Soviet Union, 1933”. Who made it: historians at the US Department of State, Office of the Historian. For whom: readers of US diplomatic history. Why: to explain why the United States recognized the Soviet Union in 1933. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Bolsheviks seized power in what is called the October Revolution. In March 1918 they made a separate peace with Germany at Brest-Litovsk. The United States recognized the Soviet Union on November 16, 1933. Context (what else was happening): The recognition came eleven years after the Soviet Union was created. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It was written about American policy; Lenin's reasons are not its subject.

13. 7.

    Noah wants Lenin's reasons for the separate peace of March 1918. Card C was written about American policy in 1933. What happens?

    • It answers well, since a later page sees the whole war and so knows why the peace was made
    • It cannot be used, since a page about American policy is biased against the Bolsheviks
    • It dates the peace, but Lenin's reasons would be in Bolshevik writings from 1918
    • It answers fully, since it names the peace and a State Department page knows the reasons

14. Use this

    Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card A (today): “Revelations from the Russian Archives: Internal Workings of the Soviet Union”. Who made it: historians at the Library of Congress. For whom: visitors to an online exhibit. Why: to show how the Soviet state worked. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Cheka was set up in December 1917, and a civil war followed from 1918 to 1921. In 1921, while famine raged, Lenin began the New Economic Policy, and US famine relief began that year. In 1922 the Cheka became the GPU. Context (what else was happening): Written today, from the library's collections of Russian archives. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is an exhibit summary; it says little about the opponents' view.

15. 8.

    The chart says the Cheka “acted against opponents.” What does that label hide, Pia?

    • Why the Cheka became the GPU in 1922, since the label shows its work was complete
    • When the Cheka was set up, since the label leaves out the date December 1917
    • How many opponents the Cheka stopped, since the label counts each person it acted against
    • Who counted as an opponent and how they were treated; no examples or numbers
16. 9.

    The Cheka became the GPU in 1922. What does the renaming suggest about the secret police, Tala?

    • It continued under a new name; the cards do not say how its methods changed
    • It ended with the Civil War, since the GPU was a new body for a new peacetime state
    • It grew weaker, since the NEP loosened the economy and so loosened the police too
    • It passed to the courts, since the treaty of 1922 created new republics with their own law

17. Use this

    Compare chart “Lenin's state, 1918 to 1924”. Columns: Period; What happened; How power was kept; Effect on people. Row 1, 1918 to 1921: What happened: the Civil War, the Bolsheviks' Red Army against many opponents; How power was kept: the Cheka secret police acted against opponents; Effect on people: with factories idle and famine in the countryside, US relief began in 1921. Row 2, 1921: What happened: Lenin begins the New Economic Policy; How power was kept: the party kept political control while letting small trade return; Effect on people: the economy began to recover from war and revolution. Row 3, 1922: What happened: a treaty on December 30 creates the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; How power was kept: the Cheka became the GPU; one party ruled four republics: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republic; Effect on people: the new state was run from Moscow. Below the chart: The Bolsheviks' rule rested on one party and a secret police; there were no free elections between parties. Card B (today): “Treaty on the Creation of the Soviet Union”. Who made it: a historian at the Law Library of Congress. For whom: readers of a library blog. Why: to describe the treaty of 1922. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The treaty creating the Soviet Union was adopted on December 30, 1922, by representatives of Belarus, Russia, the Transcaucasian republic and Ukraine. Context (what else was happening): Written on the treaty's anniversary, in a series on legal documents. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It records the adoption of the treaty, not whether the republics chose freely. Card E (from the chart of Russia in 1917): The czar's government ruled without answering to voters. The Provisional Government planned elections but lost power in October 1917.

18. 10.

    In 1918 Russia was ruled from Petrograd by the Bolsheviks; in 1922 it became one of four republics. What changed, Zee?

    • Russia became a democracy, since the treaty was adopted by representatives of the republics
    • Russia lost power to the other republics, since four republics signed and each had an equal share
    • Russia became a province of the czar's old empire again, since the treaty recreated the old borders
    • Russia, ruling alone in 1918, became one of four republics in a union run from Moscow in 1922