Revolutions of the World

The capture of the Winter Palace was a major event of the October Revolution. For exams connect it with the Bolshevik seizure of power.

The Bolsheviks were a revolutionary socialist faction led by Vladimir Lenin. They argued that the existing imperial and capitalist order should be replaced by rule representing workers and peasants, and they sought a socialist transformation of society. Their role became decisive during the 1917 Russian Revolution, when they seized power.

Option B, socialism, is correct. Liberal monarchy, imperialism, and fascism do not describe the main ideology of the Bolshevik movement. The most useful school-level association is “Bolsheviks–Lenin–socialism,” although the movement’s detailed political theory and later policies were complex. For this question, socialism clearly identifies the intended ideological connection.

The guillotine was linked with execution during the French Revolution. For exams also connect it with the Reign of Terror.

Robespierre was the major Jacobin leader linked with the Reign of Terror. For exams remember Jacobins and Robespierre together.

The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. For exams connect it with the representative body of American colonies.

Thomas Jefferson is regarded as a major author of the Declaration of Independence. For exams remember Jefferson and 1776 together.

James Watt played an important role in improving the steam engine. For exams connect the steam engine with industry and transport.

The direct answer is D: coal became fuel for machines and steam engines. The Industrial Revolution changed production from hand work to machine-based factory work. Steam engines needed a strong, dependable source of heat. Burning coal heated water, produced steam and allowed the steam engine to do mechanical work. Coal was also used in iron production, so it supported both machines and transport. A is wrong because coal was not a writing material for books. B is unrelated: coal did not stop all wars. C is wrong because coal was an important fuel and mineral, not merely jewelry. D explains why demand for coal increased: factories, mines, railways and steamships required large amounts of energy. Memory cue: coal burns, water becomes steam, steam moves the engine.

In the Meiji period major reforms occurred in army education and industry. For exams connect it with Japan's modernization.

In the Meiji Restoration power was restored in the name of the emperor. For exams remember the shift from shogunate to imperial authority.

The direct answer is C: slavery. The Haitian Revolution began in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, where enslaved Africans were forced to work under a brutal plantation system. The revolution, beginning in 1791, challenged colonial rule and slavery and eventually led to Haitian independence in 1804. C is correct because emancipation and resistance to enslavement were central to the movement. A is wrong because parliamentary elections were not the main social evil being challenged. B is related to industrial history, especially factories and the Industrial Revolution, not the central Haitian issue. D concerns transport technology and is irrelevant. Memory cue: Haiti means the successful slave revolution and independence.

Haiti became famous as an independent Black republic. For exams remember it as a successful slave revolt.

Guerrilla struggle under Fidel Castro carried the Cuban Revolution forward. For exams connect Castro with opposition to Batista.

After the Cuban Revolution socialist ideology became stronger. For exams connect Cuba with Castro and socialism.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the Shah, or monarch, of Iran before the Iranian Revolution of 1979. He ruled Iran during the later period of the Pahlavi monarchy and left the country after the revolution. The revolution then brought a major political change and led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic under a new system of leadership.

Option C gives the correct full name. Ayatollah Khomeini was the religious and revolutionary leader who returned to Iran and became central to the new order; he was not the Shah. Fidel Castro was associated with Cuba, and Sun Yat-sen with the Chinese revolution. Therefore, the historical pairing “Iran’s Shah before 1979—Mohammad Reza Pahlavi” makes C the correct choice.

Ayatollah Khomeini was the religious-political leader of the Iranian Revolution. For exams remember Khomeini and 1979 together.

Opposition to the long rule of Porfirio Diaz formed the background of the Mexican Revolution. For exams connect Diaz and 1910.

Zapata was linked with peasants and demand for land reform. For exams connect Zapata with the slogan land and liberty.

The Long March strengthened Mao's leadership role. For exams connect Mao with the Chinese Communist movement.

The direct answer is D, Mao Zedong. In 1949, after the Chinese Communist Revolution and the victory of the Communist forces, Mao Zedong announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China from Beijing. The fact chain is: Communist victory in China → Mao became the leading figure → proclamation of the People's Republic on 1 October 1949. Option A, Sun Yat-sen, was an important revolutionary and is associated with the 1911 Revolution and the founding of the Republic of China, not the 1949 proclamation. Option B, Chiang Kai-shek, led the Nationalists and moved to Taiwan after losing the mainland; he did not proclaim the People's Republic. Option C, Toussaint Louverture, was connected with the Haitian Revolution, not China. Option D is correct because Mao made the 1949 proclamation. Memory cue: 1949—Mao—People's Republic of China.

Chiang Kai-shek was a major leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party. For exams remember the struggle between Kuomintang and Communists.

The Glorious Revolution did not involve violence like a major civil war. For exams connect it with the rise of parliamentary power.

After the Glorious Revolution constitutional monarchy became stronger. For exams remember Parliament and limited royal power.

William and Mary were linked with taking power in England after the Glorious Revolution. For exams also connect them with the Bill of Rights.

The Young Turk Revolution was linked with demand for constitutional rule in the Ottoman Empire. For exams connect it with Turkish modernization.