George Orwell
Russia in Early 20th Century
Russia of 1917
Communist Soviet Russia
100
What was George Orwell's real name?
Eric Blair
100
Who was the leader of Russia in the early 1900's?
Tsar Nicholas II
100
Who took over power from the tsar?
Vladimir Lenin
100
Who was seen as the national enemy of Russia?
Leon Trotsky
200
Where was George Orwell from?
England
200
Describe how most people in Russia lived in the early 1900's.
Impoverished and oppressed
200
Who was competing for power with in the Communist Party after Lenin?
Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky
200
What happened when the Soviet's government economic plans did not work?
Russians suffered from violence, fear, and starvation (just like before the Russian Revolution).
300
What did Orwell dislike about most of the governments in the world?
The excesses of the governments
300
Who was one of the main scholars of communism?
Karl Marx
300
How did Joseph Stalin become the dictator of the Soviet Union?
He created an alliance against Trotsky and eventually had Trotsky kicked out of Russia and killed in Mexico.
300
Why did Stalin associate his enemies' names with Trotsky?
Stalin made Trotsky look like the enemy of Russia, so if he said his enemies were on Trotsky's side, they would also be seen as enemies.
400
What did George Orwell fight for in the Spanish Civil War?
The socialist cause
400
How did the Communist Party come to power in Russia?
Communism arose in Russia when the nation’s workers and peasants, assisted by a class of concerned intellectuals known as the intelligentsia, rebelled against and overwhelmed the wealthy and powerful class of capitalists and aristocrats.
400
What actions did the Communist Party take after gaining control in Russia?
They took land and industry from private control and put them under government supervision
400
Describe Stalin's show trials in your own words.
The Communist Party put people on trial, even though they had already decided the verdict. They charged these people as being against the Communist Party or as an ally of Trotsky. This lead to immediate death.
500
How did Orwell feel about the Soviet Union?
He did not like the Soviet Union, and he felt as though the Communist Party was cruel and hypocritical.
500
Describe the basic ideas of communism.
All property would be held in common, and all people would live as equals.
500
Describe the political styles of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky
Trotsky was a popular and charismatic leader, famous for his impassioned speeches, while the taciturn Stalin preferred to consolidate his power behind the scenes.
500
Is George Orwell's book "Animal Farm" going to portray Communism negatively or positively? How do you know?
It is going to portray it negatively. The text says that "Animal Farm" was written as an attack on a specific form of government, which is communism.