What policy did the Bolsheviks pledge that appealed to peasants?

What policy did the Bolsheviks pledge that appealed to peasants?

• A. Redistribute land
• B. Increase taxes on peasantry
• C. Preserve the feudal system
• D. Nationalize all industry immediately

Answer: (A)

Land reform was the policy that mattered to peasants. The Bolsheviks promised to take land from landlords and give it to the peasantry, ending private ownership of vast estates and allowing peasants to own and farm the land themselves. This directly addressed a fundamental peasant grievance: long-standing land hunger and the desire to control the land they worked. The pledge was embodied in the Decree on Land after they seized power, anchoring their appeal in rural areas and helping to win peasants’ support. In contrast, increasing taxes on peasants, preserving the feudal system, or nationalizing all industry immediately wouldn’t align with what peasants most wanted or with the Bolsheviks’ immediate appeal.

Land reform was the policy that mattered to peasants. The Bolsheviks promised to take land from landlords and give it to the peasantry, ending private ownership of vast estates and allowing peasants to own and farm the land themselves. This directly addressed a fundamental peasant grievance: long-standing land hunger and the desire to control the land they worked. The pledge was embodied in the Decree on Land after they seized power, anchoring their appeal in rural areas and helping to win peasants’ support.

In contrast, increasing taxes on peasants, preserving the feudal system, or nationalizing all industry immediately wouldn’t align with what peasants most wanted or with the Bolsheviks’ immediate appeal.