Marx & Marxism
What 1848 document by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels criticized capitalism?
The Communist Manifesto
Who led the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution?
Vladimir Lenin
What leader took over after Lenin’s death in 1924?
Joseph Stalin
What economic system is the opposite of communism?
Capitalism
What 1989 event showed the end of Soviet control in Eastern Europe?
The fall of the Berlin Wall
What group did Marx believe would rise up and overthrow the bourgeoisie?
The proletariat
What was Lenin’s promise to gain support during the revolution?
“Peace, Land, and Bread”
What were Stalin’s economic plans called that aimed to boost industry fast?
Five-Year Plans
What symbolized the division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe?
The Iron Curtain
Who introduced reforms like glasnost and perestroika in the USSR?
Mikhail Gorbachev
According to Marx, what were all of history’s struggles really about?
Class conflict
What was the name of Lenin’s 1921 plan that allowed small private businesses?
The New Economic Policy (NEP)
What farming system forced peasants to give up land and work together?
Collectivization
What was the Eastern European military alliance led by the USSR?
What was the Eastern European military alliance led by the USSR?
What movement in Poland led by Lech Walęsa helped end communism there?
Solidarity
What term describes a system where the government owns all property and there’s no private business?
Communism
What civil war followed the Russian Revolution, between the Reds and the Whites?
The Russian Civil War
What was the name for Stalin’s killings of real or fake enemies?
The Great Terror / The Purges
What happened in Hungary in 1956 and Prague in 1968?
Communist uprisings crushed by the USSR
What were two causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991?
Economic failure and political protests
What idea did Marx reject because he believed capitalism had to collapse before communism could begin?
Gradual reform / peaceful change
Why did the Bolsheviks win the civil war?
Better leadership, control of cities, and divided opposition
How did Stalin’s policies affect daily life in the USSR
They caused fear, famine, and loss of freedom despite some industrial growth
How did communism in Eastern Europe affect daily life compared to Western Europe?
Less freedom, shortages, and secret police vs. more rights and consumer good
Why did Gorbachev’s reforms actually weaken the USSR instead of saving it
They gave people more freedom, which led to demands to leave communism