Russian History Trivia

1. 1894, when Russia's last Tsar ascended to the Russian throne reluctantly and began his doomed rule. What was the name of this Russian Emperor?

From Quiz Russia in Revolution 1894-1924

Answer: Tsar Nicholas II (Romanov)

Tsar Nicholas II grudgingly accepted power at the age of 26 in November of 1894. His nepotistic practices, extreme repression and general distaste for rule would all contribute to his downfall in the early 20th century. Alexander III, Nicholas II's father, whom he replaced as Tsar, is credited with increasing repression throughout Russia, lowering the democratic freedom of peasant communities and initiating increased action against political opponents. Alexander II, known as the Tsar Liberator due to his emancipation of the serfs (enslaved peasants) in 1864 was the grandfather of Nicholas II. Despite his unique wish to increase liberal freedom in Russia, he was assassinated by the terrorist organisation The People's Will in 1881 causing Alexander III to increase repression on his succession. Tsar Peter the Great was Tsar in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, being great due to his construction of St. Petersburg, a Russian navy and vast administrative reforms to modernise Russia. Not only that, but he was the first Russian emperor who established the Romanov family as the absolute rulers of the largest nation by land in the world.

From Quiz Go East, Young Cossack!

Answer: Free people

In a feudal society, most people had a standing defined by the duties they owed to others, and that others owed to them. The Cossack groups that developed into autonomous communities in southern Russian and Ukraine did not fit into that social structure. In defense of their independence, they developed into military communities. In many ways, their social structure resembled that of the seafaring pirates, but their activities were land-based. Having them onside was of great assistance for the Tsars trying to expand the territory which they controlled, spreading eastwards from Europe across the top of Asia to the Pacific Ocean.

From Quiz The Dying Bear: The Collapse of the Soviet Union

Answer: The structure of industrial planning hadn't changed since Stalin died

In the Soviet Union, strict control of the economy was maintained by GOSPLAN, a committee of Communists in charge of setting targets on everything created by industry, from tanks to bras. This policy had first been implemented by Stalin and nobody had bothered to change it since. Party officials liked having control and the politburo back in Moscow wanted to keep them happy. However, Central Planning proved a problem in the late 20th Century; GOSPLAN simply couldn't adapt to change very quickly. An example of this occurred with the production of bras; GOSPLAN carefully worked out the numbers of the different bra sizes that would be needed. However, their hard work was completely undone due to the changes in physical shape of Soviet women. Despite all their careful planning, their were still shortages in the most popular sizes.

From Quiz Missing in Karelia, USSR

Answer: The promise of a better life

The North American Finns were booted out of Finland for union activities. They came to North America but were recruited by the fledgling Soviet state promising them a better life. They were also members of the Communist Party or various factions of it while in North America. Thousands settled in the area over the years.

From Quiz Russian Civil War

Answer: Vladimir Ilich Lenin

Lenin purchased the last Rolls Royce to be sold in Russia for over 70 years. As it was armour-plated, he felt at ease driving around Petrograd in it without risk of assassination.

From Quiz Russia and the USSR

Answer: Little Father of Russia

Crowds flocked to St. Petersburg to see Nicholas crowned. There were so many people, that a police report said 1,200 people were crushed to death as the gathering surged forward to see the Tsar, whom they called 'Little Father of Russia'. He was the last Emperor of Russia. Nicholas II abdicated following the revolution of February, 1917. During his period as Tsar, he was known for regularly rejecting requests for reform. He was an autocrat - there were no limits on his power.

From Quiz Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, or Gorbachev?

Answer: Khrushchev

In 1963, Khrushchev sent missiles to Cuba, which was under the dictatorship of Fidel Castro. In response to this news, John F. Kennedy, the president of the U.S. at the time, took action to prevent this from taking place. Khrushchev at first refused to order the ships carrying the missiles to turn back, and JFK set up a blockade around Cuba to stop Soviet ships. In the end, the Soviets turned around and agreements were made regarding both American and Soviet missiles.

From Quiz History of Saint Petersburg

Answer: 1703

On May 1 of 1703, Peter the Great during the Great Northern War captured the Swedish fortress of Nyenskans. A couple of weeks later he laid down the Peter and Paul Fortress which became the first brick and stone building of the new city. He named the city after his patron saint, Saint Peter the Apostle.

From Quiz Novgorod the Great

Answer: the ninth century (800s)

Historians aren't completely sure which "old" city the people who named Novgorod more than a millenium ago had in mind. According to one version, the city itself was founded only in the 10th century, not far from a nearby stronghold. A 65-ton bronze monument was erected in the Novgorod Kremlin in 1862 to mark Russia's 1000th anniversary. 129 historical figures are represented, including princes and tsars, military leaders, writers, artists and composers.

From Quiz The Khrushchev Era (1953-1964)

Answer: Malenkov

Malenkov preceded Khrushchev for a short period. Brezhnev succeded Khrushchev.

From Quiz Stalin: Reign of Terror

Answer: Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili

He adopted the name of Josef Stalin in 1910. Freely translated it means man of steel. http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site.php?postnum=79

From Quiz Russia: Peter I till the Revolution

Answer: Ivan V

Ivan V was Peter's half-brother by his father Alexis I. Unlike Peter, he was sick almost his entire life and died in 1696. Although he was formally co-Tsar he was never able to rule in practice as Tsar because of his illness. Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, was Tsar in the 1500s. Paul I was Tsar of Russia from 1796-1801, and Nicholas I, who is famous for putting down the revolt of 1825 ruled from 1825-1855.

From Quiz The U.S.S.R.: It Shall Not Be Forgotten

Answer: 1922

The Soviet Union, though not incorporating all of its republics at the time was founded in December of 1922. The years 1917 and 1918 were significant as the years of revoulution that toppled the Tsar and then the Provisional Government. 1924 was the year that Lenin died.

From Quiz Russian History 1905-1950

Answer: Nicholas II

Nicholas II ruled from 1st November 1894 until his abdication on 15th March 1917. He was the last Tsar/monarch. He and his family were executed in July 1918.

From Quiz Social History of the Soviet Union

Answer: Stalin

After Lenin's death in 1924 there was a power struggle in the leadership of the Soviet Union. Stalin became the dictator of the USSR by 1927-28. Brezhnev and Krushchev were not on the political scene at that point. Trotsky was exiled to Kazakhstan in 1928 and expelled from the Soviet Union in 1929 by Stalin. By 1928 Stalin was firmly in control and at the very beginning of 1929 he ordered that the five-year plan was to be completed one year early.

From Quiz The Russian Civil War

Answer: December 1917 to November 1920

The war lasted just under three years.

From Quiz Russia in 1917

Answer: Vladimir Ilych Ulyanov

Lenin had many 'revolutionary' nicknames, mostly to hide his identity when he was in trouble with the Tsar's government, but this was the one that stuck.

From Quiz Union of Soviet Social Republics

Answer: Uzbek

With the USSR consisting of 15 republics, they had the need for several principal languages. The 15 republics were: Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaidan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistakn, Turkmenistan, Kirgizstan, and Tadzhikistan. The different languages were Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Georgian, Armenian, and Uzbek.

From Quiz Communist Russia pre-1930

Answer: mensheviks&Mensheviks

The Bolsheviks (meaning "majority group") were led by Lenin and the Mensheviks ("minority group") were led by Trotsky. Here is an extract from http://www.justmorons.com/almanac.html. "The Russian terms for majority and minority are bolshevik and menshevik, respectively, and so these factions took their names. Later the Mensheviks became the majority party, meaning that the Mensheviks had become bolsheviks and the Bolsheviks mensheviks."

From Quiz Imperial Russia II

Answer: Alexander II

Alexander II (1855-1881) freed over 40 million serfs. The document used to free them was called the "Liberation Manifesto" (1861). Alexander wanted to improve Russia in three areas - 1) Size 2) Economy and 3) Military. Because the serfs were freed, they could become laborers, which in turn would increase industrial production. After the serfs were freed, the Alexander's three ambitions came true.

From Quiz Imperial Russia

Answer: Nicholas II

Tsar Nicholas II (r. 1894-1917) was the last Tsar of Russia. He was forced to abdicate the throne in February 1917.

From Quiz The Brezhnev Years 1964-82

Answer: Khrushchev & Khruschev & Khrushev

Khrushchev who had come to power following the death of Stalin in March of 1953 had recognized the failings of the Soviet system, but he was unable to institute effective reform. His Virgin Land program did not result in a long term increase in Soviet agricultural production. Foreign policy failures such as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 also contributed to the Politburo's decision to force his retirement.

From Quiz Russian Empire

Answer: St. Petersburg

The capital was moved to Moscow in 1918.

From Quiz Russian History

Answer: Prince Lvov

Prince Lvov was head of the Provisional Government that was born from the February revolution.(1861-1925.) He died in Paris. - Alexander Herzen was a political thinker, activist and writer who advocated an alternative of socialism, which he called 'peasant populism'. Count Orlov brought Catherine the Great to power.- Prince Trubeztkoy was one of the Dezembrists but did not turn up on the day of the planned rebellion.

From Quiz The Russian Revolution

Answer: Romanov

From Quiz The Russian Revolution and the End of the Romanovs

Answer: Nicholas II

From Quiz Russia Early 20th Century

Answer: October Manifesto

In January 1905 Large crowds petitioned the Czar outside the palace for their rights. This triggered revolutions. A new group springs up from this (the Soviets) and they set up a primitive democracy. They persuade the Czar to grant basic civil rights. This was called the October Manifesto even though it occured in November. During the time of the Czars, the Russian calendar was two weeks behind.

From Quiz Russian History Trivia

Answer: Lenin

Both Lenin's and Stalin's names were on the Mausoleum from March 1953 till November 1961, when Stalin's mummified body was taken out and buried and his name removed.

From Quiz Go East, Young Cossack!

Answer: Trade for furs and ivory

While the prospect of free land did encourage the population movement that followed the conquest of Siberia, the original interest was engaging in the valuable fur trade, and the prospect of ivory to be gained from the Pacific walrus. Russians expanded eastwards with much the same energy as American and Canadian settlers used in expanding westwards. The Stroganov family of merchants were major financial contributors to the expansion, and helped recruit the Cossacks to carry it out. During the 18th century, exploitation of mineral resources became a major focus as furs became both less available and less valuable as commodities. The first prisoners were sent to serve their sentences of hard labour in Siberia in 1754 - they had to walk there, a journey of up to three years, during the course of which many died. Siberian prison camps gained a new notoriety in the 20th century, when Stalin reopened the gulag system which had been closed down after the Russian Revolution.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:45 AM

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