Fall 2018 Modern Europe Final Exam: Comprehensive History Review

This document presents a solved final exam for a Modern Europe course in Fall 2018. It includes answers to questions about key historical events and figures, such as Bloody Sunday of 1905, Alexander Kerensky, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Velvet Revolution, and the Kornilov Affair. The exam also covers Stalin's perspectives on Soviet industry and economic policy, the goals and outcomes of the Five Year Plan, and Khrushchev's critique of Stalin's leadership. Furthermore, it addresses Gorbachev's views on the fall of European Communism and his criticisms of Yeltsin's economic policies. The responses provide insights into the political, economic, and social dynamics of modern Europe during the 20th century.

Running Head: MODERN EUROPE
Modern Europe History Questions
Name of the Student
Name of the University

1MODERN EUROPE
Section I
Bloody Sunday of 1905
Bloody Sunday of 1905 is referred to the event in which the soldiers of the Russian
Imperial Guard started fire on the unarmed demonstrators who were led by Father Georgy
Gapon. At that time, the team of the demonstrators were marching towards the Winter Palace for
presenting a petition to Tsar Nicholas II, the then Russian Emperor.
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Kerensky was a revolutionist and lawyer who became a key political figure
with his involvement in the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the February Revolution of 1917,
Kerensky served a number of different roles in the newly formed Russian Government.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of 1918
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of 1918 is marked as the point that ended the participation of
Russia in World War I. The treaty was signed between the Russian Bolshevik Government and
the Central Powers that consisted of Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, German Empire and
Bulgaria.
The Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution is referred to the event in 1989, in which there was a non violent
transition of power in to the then Czechoslovakia, a sovereign nation in Europe (now divided
into Czech Republic and Slovakia). The revolution ended one party rule in the country and
started an era of parliamentary republic in the country.

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The Kornilov Affair
The Kornilov Affair is a widely known military coup d'état in Russia 1917 that was led
by the then Commander-in-Chief of Russian Army, General Lavr Kornilov against the Russian
Provisional Government headed by Aleksander Kerensky and the Petrograd Soviet of Soldiers'
and Workers' Deputies.
Section II
Answer to Question 1
According to Stalin, the main reasons why Soviet Industry did not reach the targeted
growth because of the following reasons.
 The industries lacked the ability to make use of the existing possibilities. While
setting the target, there were a huge number of possibilities through which the
industries could grow but they were not competent enough to utilize the same.
 The country had failed to manage the major resources like factories, mills and
mines that are the most productive parts of the industries.
Answer to Question 2
Stalin states that the Soviet Economy was free from the “incurable of capitalism”. The
main reason he stated was that in the Russian Economy, the power belonged to the working class
and the country was also conducting a very planned economy including balanced accumulation
and distribution of resources among the different branches of the Russian economy.

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Answer to Question 3
The main reason Stalin provided regarding the country’s inability to reach the economic
growth target is the lack of management expertise among the Bolsheviks. Stalin clearly
announced that while they, the Bolsheviks, have a clear objective of reaching high economic
growth, it is often not possible for them to manage various operations whereas they are many
expertises in signing business papers.
Answer to Question 4
Stalin claims that the managers must master the skills of business as well as technology.
In addition to signing papers, the managers must also learn how to learn the business, its
processes, gathering profits and other techniques that are instrumental towards the growth of
national economy.
Answer to Question 5
In my personal view, the statement of Stalin (“We are 50 to 100 years behind the
advanced countries. We must make good this distance in 10 years or we will go under”) was not
true. At that time, Russia was significantly developed in terms of industry, technology, economy
and other fields. This is simply Stalin’s way of justifying the ruthlessness that he showed while
developing the strategy for rapid industrialization in the Soviet Union. Moreover, Stalin may also
been willing to motivate the country to emphasize further in the industrialization that will help
the country to get far ahead of other advanced countries.

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Section III
Answer to Question 6
Media around the world all reacted very positively towards Stalin’s Five Year Plan. In
each of the newspaper reports published, there were detailed praise of how the Five Year Plan
has completely transformed Russia in spite of initial fears that the plan will fail eventually.
Answer to Question 7
The main goals of the Five Years Plan designed by Stalin were as follows.
 To remove capitalism completely from the country
 To enhance the productions in the main resources like mills, mines and factories
 To execute complete industrialization of the nation
 To improve the managers’ skills regarding handling business and technology
 To reach an economic growth of 35%
Answer to Question 8
The key goals of the agricultural policy included industrialization of agriculture and
maximization of the output from agriculture in the nation.
The goal of the military policy was “to create all the necessary technical and economic
prerequisites for increasing to the utmost the defence capacity of the country, enabling it to
organize determined resistance to any attempt at military intervention from abroad, to any
attempt at military attack from abroad.”

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Answer to Question 9
The heavy industry was the focal point of the Five Years Plan as Stalin believed it will be
able support the entire plan by providing sufficient infrastructure, transport, assistance in
agriculture and others. Stalin stated that the heavy industry would be the backbone of the Five
Years Plan and future developments alike.
Answer to Question 10
The successes in promoting new industries of the Five Year Plan by 1933, according to
Stalin, included the nationalization of all the industries and the ability of the country to grow
business to large heights. The country is also far ahead of other countries in terms of creations of
new enterprises.
Answer to Question 11
Stalin justifies the failure of producing sufficient consumer goods by stating that the
heavy industries in the country were not sufficiently developed. The heavy industry needed to
provide agriculture with sufficient technical resources that will increase the productivity that in
turn will boost the productivity of the consumer goods.
Answer to Question 12
For the Second Five Year Plan, Stalin mainly emphasized on the development of water,
road and rail transport. He also focussed on improving the quality of the goods produced in the
industries.

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Section IV
Answer to Question 13
According to Khrushchev, Stalin completely ignored the norms of party life and trampled
on the Leninist principle of collective party leadership. He also pointed out that during Stalin’s
regime, 70% of elected candidates of the party’s central committee were arrested and shot.
Answer to Question 14
As a consequence of labelling the individuals, the abject provocateur Beriya murdered
thousands of communists and loyal Soviet people. Stalin himself chose the path of repression
and physical annihilation as a part of demonstration of brute force.
Section V
Answer to Question 15
Gorbachev claimed that the interference of external countries like America significantly
played part in the fall of European Communism. While he was trying to construct a new
architecture of communist system, the interference of external nations and also the growing
dependency of European countries on the external countries led to the fall of the plan.
Answer to Question 16
Gorbachev emphasized on long term success of the country and he particularly disliked
the idea of Yeltsin to depend on external schemes and strategies as means for instant success.
Gorbachev also highlighted that during Yeltsin’s time, Russian economy and industry
completely fell through as he emphasized on imports from the external nations. Gorbachev

7MODERN EUROPE
himself had plans for a new Europe and new architecture of mutual security and he say that
during Yeltsin’s time, all of these ideas failed miserably. Thus he has been so hostile towards
Yeltsin.