Russian in Russian Trivia Quiz

Answer: Local governments

Zemstvos were introduced as a reformatory measure by Tsar Alexander II, who wanted to update the way in which Russia was controlled internally. Another measure introduced by Alexander II was the "freeing of the serfs" in 1861, by which he allowed peasants to own their own land, rather than being serf-tenants with few or no rights. The downside of this from the peasant's point of view was the vast amount of money they had to pay in order to buy this land.

The events which followed were seen as extremely significant in shaping the outlook of both Alexander III (Alexander II's son) and Nicholas II (Alexander II's grandson). Alexander II was assassinated in 1881 and this caused his heirs to fear what would happen if they were to relinquish their power further. As a result, in 1905, zemstvos had little influence as a local government. However, the real significance of the zemstvo was a place where political (mainly liberal middle-class) ideas could be discussed.

Answer: A battleship

The reason PDAZski chose the battleship Potemkin as an example was because of the harsh conditions sailors faced under naval leaders in this period. In June 1905, rebellion broke out on this ship due to the general poor conditions of the ship and terrible treatment of its sailors. The spark to this event was a meal of rotten meat which was served to the sailors on the day. The second reason why PDAZski chose Potemkin as a way of showing the strong link between the Tsar and the military is that the rebellion of June 1905 was an entirely isolated case, despite the sailor's attempts to spread the uprising.

Despite being a significant event in itself, this story is perhaps most widely known because of the 1925 silent film, "The Battleship Potemkin".

Answer: 1916

This offensive came about following French and British pleas to the Russians for them to relieve some of the pressure on the Western Front. Aleksei Brusilov, the general after whom the offensive was named, presented the plan to army commanders. He received support from most commanders as well as Nicholas II himself, who had become commander-in-chief of the Russian army in 1915.

The offensive was launched on June 4th 1916 and proved to be one of the bloodiest encounters of the war. It did, however, succeed in its main aim of diverting German forces from the Western Front, who arrived to aid the Austro-Hungarian forces which were under attack.

Nicholas' decision to become commander-in-chief of the Russian army was perhaps one of his worst decisions, as not only did he have little knowledge of military tactics, he was away from the capital whilst strikes broke out.

Answer: Kornilov

The events of the war, the increase in demands from peasants and national minorities, along with the severe economic problems in Russia made the Provisional Government concerned that they would lose control of Petrograd. Kerensky (the then head of the Provisional Government) therefore decided to call upon General Kornilov to come and restore order before things got out of hand.

Kerensky began to fear a military coup upon the arrival of Kornilov and so armed the Soviets, asking them to defend the city. This action, however, lost Kerensky (and therefore the entire Provisional Government) support from the armed forces, as well as setting the Soviet up as the saviours of Petrograd in the face of Kerensky's mistake.

Answer: Truth

Once the "official voice" of the Soviet Union, the "Pravda" was closed down in 1991 by decree of President Boris Yeltsin.

Another famous Russian publication was the "Iskra" (meaning the "spark"). This was founded by Lenin in 1900 and was later taken over by the Mensheviks after Lenin left following the split of the Russian Social Democratic Party into the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.

Answer: Zhenotdel

Krupskaya helped found this movement along with Alexandra Kollontai, Inessa Armand, Konkordia Samoilova, Klavdia Nikolayeva and Zlata Lilina. The organisation, which was active from around 1919 to 1930, faced several organisational problems in the years following their formation.

They later became involved in several areas of society, such as childcare, female unemployment and famine relief. The movement later came under heavy criticism - some saying that they focussed too much on the social positions of women and so neglected other pressing issues, whilst others dismissed their efforts as a feminist distraction.

Answer: Katorgas

Although under different names, gulags and katorgas were essentially the same - places where people were sent to perform hard labour so as to stay out of the way of Russian political and social matters.

Katorgas were established in the 17th century and were built in Siberia. Many political prisoners were Polish protestors, who became known as "Sybiraks". Large Polish populations still exist in Siberia.

After the Bolsheviks seized power in 1917, the katorgas developed into gulags, more opponents were sent to such camps and the conditions and surveillance became stricter.

Answer: Coal mining

Stakhanov was hailed as mining 102 tonnes of coal in 5 hours and 45 minutes - 14 times the amount expected of him in this time. He was set up as an industrial hero and something every Russian should aspire to be at this time of fearsome industrialisation.

The Stakhanovite Movement began in the middle of the second 5-Year Plan, which was more realistic than the first and broader in terms of aims than the third.

The movement, like many of the industrially minded plans of Stalin, was highly over-ambitious. In reality, Stakhanov was not working in "normal" conditions, but was said to have state of the art tools as well as assistants.

Answer: The Komsomol

The Komsomol (also known as the Young Communist League) was founded in 1918 and by 1927 they had a membership of over 2 million. It was made up by young activists who were keen on building a more proletarian society in the USSR. They were very active following the war on kulaks, NEPmen (private traders) and the middle class which was declared during the first 5 Year Plan.

In their attempts to fight religion, enforce collectivisation, and seek out "enemies", the members of the Komsomol (or Komsomols) often were said to go further than the higher powers intended.

Answer: Fortress

The word fortress seems appropriate when describing the Kremlin as the thick enclosing wall has intended to provide safety to all who have inhabited it over the years. Nevertheless, the Kremlin has been the site of many terrorist attacks over the centuries, such as the bomb which killed Grand Duke Sergei, the uncle Nicholas II, in 1905.

The Moscow Kremlin overlooks Red Square and is the official residence of the Russian President.

The Moscow Kremlin is just one of those still standing today. Other surviving Kremlins include those in Novgorod, Kazan and Suzdal.