Page 36 - Understanding NCERT Histroy 09th

Activity
(Page no. 33)
Q. Why were there revolutionary disturbances in Russia in 1905? What were the demands
of revolutionaries?
Goyal Brothers Prakashan
Ans. 1. The causes of the revolutionary disturbances in Russia in 1905 were
(i) Due to Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, prices of essential goods
rose dramatically, due to which real wages declined by 20 per cent.
(ii) At the Putilov Iron Works, dismissal of some workers caused a strike. During the
subsequent events, a procession of workers was attacked by police in which 100
workers died. This was known as Bloody Sunday.
(iii) Subsequently, strikes took place all over the country, resulting in the creation of an
elected Parliament or Duma.
2. The revolutionaries demanded a reduction in daily working hours to eight, increase in
wages and improvement in working conditions.

2.5 The First World War and the Russian Empire
l In 1914, World War–I broke out between two European alliances– Germany, Austria and
Turkey (the Central powers) and France, Britain and Russia (later Italy and Romania).
• The War was initially popular but later on people turned against the Tsar. The Tsarina
Alexandra’s German origins and poor advisors especially Rasputin made the autocracy
unpopular.
• The War was different on the eastern front and on the western front.
• The Russian army suffered severe defeats in Germany and Austria. There were over 7
million casualties by 1917.
• To stop opponents from subsisting off the land, the Russian army demolished buildings
and crops.
• Railway lines began to breakdown by 1916.
• Flour and bread became scarce for the population living in the cities.
• By the winter of 1916, riots at bread shops became very common in Russia.

Activity
(Page no. 34)
Q. The year is 1916. You are a general in the Tsar’s army on the eastern front. You are
writing a report for the government in Moscow. In your report suggest what you
think the government should do to improve the situation.
Ans. In the years 1914-1916, Russia had lost to Austria and Germany and in the World War I
Austria was in the eastern front, and had over seven million casualties by the year 1917.
As Russia retreated, the army destroyed buildings and crops to prevent the enemy from
being able to live off the land. The destruction of buildings and crops resulted in more
than three million refugees in Russia.
This situation discredited the Tsar and the government. The war also impacted industry. By
1916, railway lines broke down there were labour scarcities, small workshops manufacturing
essentials went out of business, large grain supplies were sent to feed the army, flour and
bread became scarce, and there were riots at the bread shops.
The Russian Cossack had a lot of problems as stated above, on the Eastern Front in
World War I; however the most conspicuous problem was related to logistics. Most of the

History Class IX H-29