Chapter 9

3. For Marx, which of the following was most important for explaining all human action? a. economics b. religion c. culture d. geography

a. economics

22. What was the title of the chief executive in a communist country based on the Soviet model? a. prime minister b. president c. Supreme Leader d. general secretary

d. general secretary

10. The bourgeoisie are the a. working class. b. aristocratic elites. c. military. d. property-owning middle class.

d. property-owning middle class.

12. Marx argued that once socialism had triumphed, the state would eventually a. become highly centralized. b. grow in power. c. grow despotic and have to be overthrown again. d. wither away.

d. wither away.

19. The "cabinet" of the Communist Party as developed in the Soviet Union is generally known as the a. Politburo. b. nomenklatura. c. general secretary. d. general council.

a. Politburo.

11. For most of his career, Marx generally argued that communist revolution was most likely in a. countries where capitalism was most advanced. b. countries with an underdeveloped bourgeoisie. c. poor countries. d. Europe.

a. countries where capitalism was most advanced.

9. The term used to describe Marx's conception of historical change is a. dialectical materialism. b. graduated materialism. c. dialectical gradualism. d. graduated episodism.

a. dialectical materialism.

29. Gorbachev's perestroika was concerned with a. economic and political reforms. b. devolution and federalism. c. military disarmament. d. encouraging public debate.

a. economic and political reforms.

1. The promise of which of the following has served as a major source of attraction for followers of communism? a. economic equality b. environmental justice c. religious freedom d. individual wealth

a. economic equality

17. One of the challenges in putting Marx's ideas into practice has been that a. he left no specific outline for how communism would be built. b. his guidelines for how to build communism were too costly to realize. c. he only provided a guideline for how to build communism in small, agrarian societies. d. his guidelines for how to build communism presumed technological innovation that has not yet occurred.

a. he left no specific outline for how communism would be built.

21. Politically sensitive or influential jobs in the state, reserved for people approved by the Communist Party as developed in the Soviet Union, are known as the a. nomenklatura. b. proletariat. c. dictatorship of the proletariat. d. corporate elite.

a. nomenklatura.

27. Under communism, ethnicity and nationalism were a. suppressed. b. embraced and "socialized." c. tolerated as relics that would fade in time. d. generally merged with Marxist ideology.

a. suppressed.

20. Postcommunist economic reform has been most successful in a. Russia. b. Eastern Europe and the Baltics. c. the Balkans, such as Romania and Bulgaria. d. the Caucasus, such as Armenia and Georgia.

b. Eastern Europe and the Baltics.

24. Which of the following statements about the privatization and marketization of countries transitioning from communism is accurate? a. Those advocating shock therapy wanted to minimize the short-term social disruptions of marketization. b. Inflation and hyperinflation were fears of those who advocated a gradual approach to marketization. c. Postcommunist countries almost universally sought to privatize by distributing firms' shares to the public as a whole. d. Most postcommunist countries agreed that privatization should occur and be allowed to complete its course before marketization was attempted.

b. Inflation and hyperinflation were fears of those who advocated a gradual approach to marketization

13. In which of the following ways has China's transition from the communist model differed from that of Russia? a. It has nationalized more industries than it has privatized. b. It has sought economic change with little or no political change. c. It has actively promoted strong nationalism. d. It has failed to expand its natural resources sector.

b. It has sought economic change with little or no political change.

2. The individual primarily associated with articulating the political theory of communism is a. Mao Zedong. b. Karl Marx. c. Vladimir Lenin. d. Adam Smith.

b. Karl Marx.

8. Which of the following statements about communism in China under Mao is accurate? a. Mao argued, like Marx, that communist revolutions could only be successful in countries with advanced capitalism. b. Mao sought to destroy the power of the party-state in order to expand the Communist regime. c. Mao's strategy for cultural and economic advancement proved to be far less cruel and resulted in much less loss of life than Stalin's regime. d. Mao rejected the broad political structure and institutions of the Soviet Communist regime and developed uniquely Chinese ones based on Confucian philosophy.

b. Mao sought to destroy the power of the party-state in order to expand the Communist regime.

28. How did Marxist theory change the lives of women in most communist countries? a. Abortion and divorce laws were made more conservative, reducing women's access to both. b. Women were given greatly expanding workforce and educational opportunities. c. Many women rose to positions of significant political and economic power. d. Traditional patterns of sexism largely faded and most women were able to let go of their traditional roles inside the home.

b. Women were given greatly expanding workforce and educational opportunities.

4. The ________ is the name Marx chose for the system of economic production, including the level of technology (the "means of production"). a. superstructure b. base c. dialectical materialism d. surplus value of labor

b. base

6. Marx's name for all human institutions, including religion, the state, politics, and gender, is the a. base. b. superstructure. c. surplus value. d. dialectical materialism.

b. superstructure

16. Lenin's term for the group of people who would need to carry out revolution in a less advanced country is the a. proletariat masses. b. vanguard of the proletariat. c. special police. d. avant-garde.

b. vanguard of the proletariat.

26. Which of the following statements about central planning is accurate? a. It emphasized production of consumer goods over infrastructure. b. It emphasized agricultural production at the expense of the industrial sector. c. It proved unable to create strong worker incentives. d. It encouraged too much interdependence among domestic economic entities.

c. It proved unable to create strong worker incentives.

7. Which of the following is an accurate description of one component of communist government in the Soviet Union? a. The only truly democratic process that occurred within the state happened during the party congress that was held every few years. b. Party cells were primarily used in the practical representation of the interests of the people. c. Some unions were allowed to operate outside of the state, though they were linked to the Communist Party. d. The nomenklatura were often set in opposition, sometimes violently, to the judiciary and local government officials.

c. Some unions were allowed to operate outside of the state, though they were linked to the Communist Party.

23. Which of the following statements best describes the role of political parties in communist countries based on the Soviet model? a. All members of society belong to a single Communist Party. b. Several Communist parties compete for power, but non-Communist parties are banned. c. The state is dominated by a single Communist Party. d. Agrarian parties dominate the political system.

c. The state is dominated by a single Communist Party.

30. In which of the following ways do postcommunist success stories like Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic differ from countries with less successful records like Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Serbia? a. They were more heavily influenced by the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires. b. They are much more ethnically diverse. c. They have a greater precommunist history of healthy civil society. d. They had less contact with the West during communist rule.

c. They have a greater precommunist history of healthy civil society.

25. Which of the following statements about gender and LGBT rights and equality in former communist or eastern European countries is accurate? a. Gender inequality is growing in most Eastern European states as a result of postcommunist privatization and the high levels of unemployment that have resulted. b. Postcommunist countries perform worse on the United Nation's Gender Inequality Index than advanced democracies around the world. c. While some Central European states allow for same-sex partnerships, discrimination against the LGBT community has actually grown in Russia and Central Asia. d. Unlike their approach to religion, communist countries considered gender and sexual identity to be compatible with communist ideology and offered no discrimination. That tolerance has continued in transitions from communism.

c. While some Central European states allow for same-sex partnerships, discrimination against the LGBT community has actually grown in Russia and Central Asia.

14. For Marxists, socialism represents a. the enemy of communism. b. the final end-stage of human history. c. a transitional phase before communism. d. the enemy that has to be overthrown.

c. a transitional phase before communism.

18. In which of the following ways did Lenin's beliefs about communism differ from those of Marx? a. He argued that the state did not have to wither away after the communist revolution. b. He argued that socialism could be an end goal, not a transitional phase. c. He argued that some democratic processes could be incorporated into the operation of the state. d. He argued that revolutions could take place in less advanced countries.

d. He argued that revolutions could take place in less advanced countries.

5. Which of the following statements about religions and their contribution to new identities around the world is accurate? a. The Soviet Union actively promoted religions other than Christianity as a means of countering Western influence. b. Christianity has continued to wither in postcommunist countries, which have grown more secular in the last two decades. c. Despite attempts by both private citizens and governments like that of Saudi Arabia, Islam has grown in many countries with large Muslim populations. d. The Chinese government has tried to battle religious growth by promoting Confucian ideals and practices.

d. The Chinese government has tried to battle religious growth by promoting Confucian ideals and practices.

15. How have current governments in Russia and China responded to growing nationalism in their countries? a. They have tolerated nationalist sentiment without taking overt action. b. They have sought to emphasize ethnic multiculturalism to reduce nationalism. c. They have liberalized laws that restrict religious freedom and cultural expression. d. They have promoted nationalism as a means of maintaining legitimacy.

d. They have promoted nationalism as a means of maintaining legitimacy.