The Russian Revolution and the creation of the Soviet Union

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Compare chart “Russia's three governments, 1917”. Columns: Government; Leader; How it gained or lost power; What happened to rights. Row 1, The czar's government: Leader: Czar Nicholas II; How it lost power: a popular uprising in February 1917, helped by the poor running of World War I, forced him to abdicate; Rights: the czar ruled without answering to voters. Row 2, The Provisional Government: Leader: Alexander Kerensky, in the end; How it gained or lost power: took over after the czar, with liberal and socialist groups sharing power; Rights: it planned elections, but it lost power in October 1917. Row 3, The Bolshevik government: Leader: Vladimir Lenin; How it gained or lost power: Bolshevik forces seized government buildings in Petrograd in October 1917 (November in today's calendar); Rights: a secret police, the Cheka, was set up in December 1917.

2. 1.

   Ari reads the chart's row for the Provisional Government. Which statement does the chart support?

   • It used the Cheka against its opponents, since the chart lists the Cheka in the year 1917
   • It held elections that showed the people backed it, since the chart says the government planned them
   • It replaced the czar and planned elections, but the chart shows it losing power in October 1917
   • It lost power because its leader was weak, since the chart names Kerensky as leader at the end
3. 2.

   Bo compares the rights column for the czar's government and the Bolshevik government. Which comparison does the chart support?

   • Rights improved under the Bolsheviks, since the chart shows they ended the czar's rule in 1917
   • No comparison is possible, since the two governments came from different kinds of uprisings and seizures
   • Limited under both: the czar did not answer to voters, and the Bolsheviks set up a secret police
   • Rights were greater under the czar, since the chart lists no secret police in the czar's row
4. 3.

   Esme compares how the czar's and the Provisional Government's rule ended. Which statement fits the chart?

   • The czar fell in October and the Provisional Government in February, since the chart lists them in that order
   • The czar fell to an uprising in February; the Provisional Government to a seizure in October
   • Both fell to the Bolsheviks, since Lenin led the party that finally held power at the end of 1917
   • Both fell to uprisings of the people, since the chart treats an uprising and a seizure as the same event

5. Use this

   Compare chart “Russia's three governments, 1917”. Columns: Government; Leader; How it gained or lost power; What happened to rights. Row 1, The czar's government: Leader: Czar Nicholas II; How it lost power: a popular uprising in February 1917, helped by the poor running of World War I, forced him to abdicate; Rights: the czar ruled without answering to voters. Row 2, The Provisional Government: Leader: Alexander Kerensky, in the end; How it gained or lost power: took over after the czar, with liberal and socialist groups sharing power; Rights: it planned elections, but it lost power in October 1917. Row 3, The Bolshevik government: Leader: Vladimir Lenin; How it gained or lost power: Bolshevik forces seized government buildings in Petrograd in October 1917 (November in today's calendar); Rights: a secret police, the Cheka, was set up in December 1917. Card A (today): “Russian Revolution, 1917”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. For whom: readers of an online encyclopedia. Why: to explain the Russian Revolution of 1917. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In February 1917 an uprising, helped by the government's poor management of World War I, forced Czar Nicholas II to abdicate. A Provisional Government of liberal and socialist groups took over, led in the end by Alexander Kerensky. On October 24–25, 1917, Bolshevik forces under Lenin seized government buildings in Petrograd. Context (what else was happening): Written today, with the later history of the Soviet Union known. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is an encyclopedia entry; it says little about why Russians supported each side. Card B (today): “The Soviet Union and the United States”. Who made it: historians at the Library of Congress. For whom: visitors to an online exhibit. Why: to tell the story of Russian-American relations. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In November 1917, by today's calendar, the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd and began calling themselves Communists. A civil war followed from 1918 to 1921. Context (what else was happening): Written today, from the library's collections of Russian archives. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is about relations with the United States, so Russian events are background.

6. 4.

   Card A dates the Bolshevik seizure to October 24–25, card B to November 1917. Kira asks if the cards conflict.

   • No: Russia's calendar then differed from ours, so one event can carry both dates
   • Yes: one card must be wrong, since a seizure of power happens on one date that a card must give
   • Yes: card B is from a library exhibit and so is less reliable than an encyclopedia entry on dates
   • No: card A dates the planning and card B dates the seizure itself, so each describes a different step

7. Use this

   Compare chart “Russia's three governments, 1917”. Columns: Government; Leader; How it gained or lost power; What happened to rights. Row 1, The czar's government: Leader: Czar Nicholas II; How it lost power: a popular uprising in February 1917, helped by the poor running of World War I, forced him to abdicate; Rights: the czar ruled without answering to voters. Row 2, The Provisional Government: Leader: Alexander Kerensky, in the end; How it gained or lost power: took over after the czar, with liberal and socialist groups sharing power; Rights: it planned elections, but it lost power in October 1917. Row 3, The Bolshevik government: Leader: Vladimir Lenin; How it gained or lost power: Bolshevik forces seized government buildings in Petrograd in October 1917 (November in today's calendar); Rights: a secret police, the Cheka, was set up in December 1917. 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 sixteen years after the revolution. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It was written about American policy; the revolution is only background.

8. 5.

   Card C was written about US recognition in 1933. Luz asks how far it explains why the Bolsheviks left the war.

   • Fully: a State Department page knows the reasons behind each government's choices in the years it covers
   • It dates the separate peace of March 1918 but does not say why the Bolsheviks made it
   • No: a page written about 1933 cannot be trusted about events that happened in 1918
   • It shows the peace caused the Civil War, since the peace comes first in card C's list of events

9. Use this

   Compare chart “Russia's three governments, 1917”. Columns: Government; Leader; How it gained or lost power; What happened to rights. Row 1, The czar's government: Leader: Czar Nicholas II; How it lost power: a popular uprising in February 1917, helped by the poor running of World War I, forced him to abdicate; Rights: the czar ruled without answering to voters. Row 2, The Provisional Government: Leader: Alexander Kerensky, in the end; How it gained or lost power: took over after the czar, with liberal and socialist groups sharing power; Rights: it planned elections, but it lost power in October 1917. Row 3, The Bolshevik government: Leader: Vladimir Lenin; How it gained or lost power: Bolshevik forces seized government buildings in Petrograd in October 1917 (November in today's calendar); Rights: a secret police, the Cheka, was set up in December 1917. Card A (today): “Russian Revolution, 1917”. Who made it: historians at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. For whom: readers of an online encyclopedia. Why: to explain the Russian Revolution of 1917. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In February 1917 an uprising, helped by the government's poor management of World War I, forced Czar Nicholas II to abdicate. A Provisional Government of liberal and socialist groups took over, led in the end by Alexander Kerensky. On October 24–25, 1917, Bolshevik forces under Lenin seized government buildings in Petrograd. Context (what else was happening): Written today, with the later history of the Soviet Union known. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is an encyclopedia entry; it says little about why Russians supported each side. Card B (today): “The Soviet Union and the United States”. Who made it: historians at the Library of Congress. For whom: visitors to an online exhibit. Why: to tell the story of Russian-American relations. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In November 1917, by today's calendar, the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd and began calling themselves Communists. A civil war followed from 1918 to 1921. Context (what else was happening): Written today, from the library's collections of Russian archives. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is about relations with the United States, so Russian events are background.

10. 6.

    Milo puts cards A and B together. Which claim do both cards support?

    • The Provisional Government that replaced the czar fell to the Bolsheviks, and a civil war followed
    • The Bolsheviks caused the czar's fall, since card A lists the czar's fall just before their seizure
    • The war caused the Civil War, since card A blames the poor running of World War I for the revolution
    • The Civil War ended the Provisional Government, since both cards mention fighting and the year 1917

11. Use this

    Compare chart “Russia's three governments, 1917”. Columns: Government; Leader; How it gained or lost power; What happened to rights. Row 1, The czar's government: Leader: Czar Nicholas II; How it lost power: a popular uprising in February 1917, helped by the poor running of World War I, forced him to abdicate; Rights: the czar ruled without answering to voters. Row 2, The Provisional Government: Leader: Alexander Kerensky, in the end; How it gained or lost power: took over after the czar, with liberal and socialist groups sharing power; Rights: it planned elections, but it lost power in October 1917. Row 3, The Bolshevik government: Leader: Vladimir Lenin; How it gained or lost power: Bolshevik forces seized government buildings in Petrograd in October 1917 (November in today's calendar); Rights: a secret police, the Cheka, was set up in December 1917. Card B (today): “The Soviet Union and the United States”. Who made it: historians at the Library of Congress. For whom: visitors to an online exhibit. Why: to tell the story of Russian-American relations. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In November 1917, by today's calendar, the Bolsheviks seized power in Petrograd and began calling themselves Communists. A civil war followed from 1918 to 1921. Context (what else was happening): Written today, from the library's collections of Russian archives. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It is about relations with the United States, so Russian events are background. 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 sixteen years after the revolution. Limits (what this source cannot tell us): It was written about American policy; the revolution is only background.

12. 7.

    Noah asks what cards B and C show about Russia and the world war and the civil war. Which claim fits?

    • The Provisional Government made the separate peace, since card C says the Bolsheviks seized power in October
    • Russia kept fighting Germany until 1921, since card B dates the Civil War from 1918 to 1921
    • The separate peace caused the Civil War, since card C dates the peace before the fighting in card B
    • The Bolsheviks made a separate peace with Germany in March 1918, and a civil war ran from 1918 to 1921

13. Use this

    Compare chart “Russia's three governments, 1917”. Columns: Government; Leader; How it gained or lost power; What happened to rights. Row 1, The czar's government: Leader: Czar Nicholas II; How it lost power: a popular uprising in February 1917, helped by the poor running of World War I, forced him to abdicate; Rights: the czar ruled without answering to voters. Row 2, The Provisional Government: Leader: Alexander Kerensky, in the end; How it gained or lost power: took over after the czar, with liberal and socialist groups sharing power; Rights: it planned elections, but it lost power in October 1917. Row 3, The Bolshevik government: Leader: Vladimir Lenin; How it gained or lost power: Bolshevik forces seized government buildings in Petrograd in October 1917 (November in today's calendar); Rights: a secret police, the Cheka, was set up in December 1917.

14. 8.

    The chart says the czar ruled without answering to voters. Ren asks whether any later government in the chart answered to voters.

    • The czar's government did, since the uprising of February 1917 came from the voters of Russia
    • None: the Provisional Government planned elections but lost power before any are shown
    • The Bolsheviks did, since their forces seized buildings in the name of the Russian people
    • The Provisional Government did, since the chart says it held elections soon after it took over
15. 9.

    The Bolsheviks set up the Cheka secret police in December 1917. What does that suggest about how they expected to hold power, Tala?

    • That they expected opposition and meant to meet it with a secret police
    • That they planned a civil war, since the Cheka was set up shortly before the Civil War began
    • That they feared Germany, since the secret police is linked in time to the separate peace of 1918
    • Nothing, since a secret police is an office and an office cannot show what leaders expected
16. 10.

    A student says “Lenin was popular, because the Bolsheviks took power.” What does the chart show, Zee?

    • Nothing about 1917, since a chart cannot show political support or anything about how power was won
    • That Lenin was popular, since a party cannot seize government buildings without wide support
    • That the Bolsheviks seized power; seizing power does not show how many people backed them
    • That Lenin was unpopular, since the chart records that a secret police was set up soon after