The Ultimate The Russian Revolution Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. One of the more famous events of the Russian Revolution was the execution of the Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their children on the 17th July 1918. But Alexandra is in fact a Russian name she took upon her marriage. What is her real name?

Answer: Alix

Alix of Hesse and by Rhine, later Alexandra Feodorovna on the 26th November 1894. Was born in German royalty which eventually was a contributing factor to her downfall due to anti-German rumours and sentiment.

Nicholas II had been forced to abdicate in the February 1917 revolution and had been moved to the Urals, far away from the capital.

The execution of Nicholas II and his family took place on the 17th July 1918 when an anti-Bolshevik army was approaching the place where they were held.

2. The Bolsheviks were known as the Red Army, but what is less known is there were several other armies in the Revolution and subsequent Civil War that were also named after colours. Which of these was NOT one of them?

Answer: The Blue Army

The White Army refers to pro-Tsarist forces fighting against the Bolsheviks. The Black Army referred to a pro-Bolshevik force in Ukraine that eventually were destroyed after refusing to merge into the Red Army, and the Green Army referred to armed peasant groups which fought against all governments in the Russian Civil War.

3. "Battleship Potemkin" has been called one of the most influential films of all time (despite the fact that it includes propaganda). It focuses on a mutiny that occurred when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin mutinied against their officers of the Tsarist regime. In what year did this actual event occur?

Answer: 1905

Considered a landmark not just of propaganda but of cinema in general, the sailors in the actual event mutinied against their superiors after refusing to eat rotten meat. Things escalated from there and formed the inspiration of the propaganda film.

The ruthless and highly systematic shooting by Tsarist soldiers, on the long open air flight of stone steps in Odessa, of well-wishers and onlookers sympathetic to the mutineers has become famous in its own right.

4. In 1917 there were actually two Russian revolutions, followed by a civil war. The first revolution was the one that unseated the Romanov dynasty and the second revolution was the Bolshevik coup. The two separate revolutions are named after which two months of the year?

Answer: February and October

The February revolution refers to the revolution against the Tsar while the October revolution refers to the Bolsheviks coup.

Russia was still using the Julian Calendar at the time, so period references give the dates 23-27 February and 25 October date, which correspond to 23-27 February and 7 November - all in 1917.

The catalyst for these events was Russia's poor performance in WWI, which caused widespread anger and hardship. The widespread claim that the Empress (who was of a German royal family) was a Germany supporter was false.

5. Vladimir Lenin triumphantly came into Petrograd just before midnight on 16 April 1917 from which European city?

Answer: Zurich

Lenin and his wife were in exile in Switzerland when WWI broke out and Russia joined. Lenin returned to much fanfare after the initial revolution and intended to set up a new Bolshevik r�gime. He was initially unsuccessful but eventually succeeded in forming the Soviet Union.

6. In the October Revolution the Bolsheviks overthrew the government to form their own. Who was the Prime Minister overthrown?

Answer: Alexander Kerensky

Kerensky was never a firm figure and was easily overthrown by the Bolsheviks, he would die in exile in 1970.

Trotsky played a key role in the October Revolution, alongside Lenin and soon afterwards People's Commissar for War. He is widely credited with organizing the Red Army as an effective fighting force. In the longer run he was outmaneuvered by Stalin and assassinated in Mexico on his orders.

Budyonny was a trusted wartime general (with a magnificent moustache) who received the Hero of the Soviet Union award and died in Moscow in 1973.

Beria was an associate of Stalin and head of the secret police from 1939 till 1953. He tried to seize power after Stalin's death and was executed in 1953.

7. What year saw the end of the Russian Civil War and the establishment of the Soviet Union?

Answer: 1922

The civil war actually took years while the two revolutions were significantly much shorter. The Bolsheviks would win the war in 1922 and declare the formation of the Soviet Union that same year.

8. Stalin was born in which region of the Soviet Union?

Answer: Georgia

His voice was first became familiar to the general public in the Soviet Union in the Second World War, where his calls for the Soviet Union to resist Germany was heard. A lot of people were surprised at his thick Georgian accent. However, in June 1941 at the start of Operation Barbarossa, he had a nervous breakdown, and it was Molotov who made the radio announcement and the early calls to resist. When Stalin made his first broadcast after the German invasion he seemed to be in tears.

9. What would have been the name of the Tsar to have succeeded Nicholas II after he abdicated himself and his son from the throne?

Answer: Michael III

Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia was the younger brother of Nicholas II and would have taken control of the throne. However, he wisely decided not to accept due to the unpopularity of the aristocracy and the monarchy.

Unfortunately this didn't help, as he was imprisoned and shot in 1918.

10. In 1991 St Petersburg got its name after Soviet-era place names were renamed. Which of these names were they NOT formerly known as?

Answer: Stalingrad

Stalingrad was the former name of the town Volgograd and was renamed in 1961.

St Petersburg is its original name, named after Peter the Great in 1703. This was changed to Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924.

Source: Author mrjeremy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Ultimate The Russian Revolution Quiz | European

The events of Russia in 1917-18 onwards were complex and became a key influence on the subsequent course of 20th century history.

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