What role did Sovnarkom play after the October Revolution?

• A. The Council of People's Commissars acted as the government of the new Bolshevik regime.
• B. The Council of People's Commissars acted as a ceremonial body with no real power.
• C. They led the White armies.
• D. They governed only industry.

Answer: (B)

The important idea here is that the Council of People's Commissars served as the governing executive authority of the new Bolshevik regime. After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks set up Sovnarkom as the cabinet-like body that ran the state, with Lenin as its leader and a system of commissariats directing different areas of policy. They issued decrees, ran the ministries, and decided on how the state would function—everything from land and industry to foreign and domestic policy. This wasn’t a ceremonial body; it wielded real power and established centralized control over the government.

The other statements don’t fit the situation. They did not lead the White armies, who fought the Bolsheviks in the Civil War. And the scope of Sovnarkom’s authority went far beyond governing only industry, encompassing broad political, economic, and military affairs for the new Soviet state.