Which statement accurately describes the aims of the Bolsheviks’ Land Decree and Peace Decree of 1917?

• A. Land Decree redistributed land to peasants; Peace Decree called for immediate WWI armistice.
• B. Nationalized all industry; Prolonged the war.
• C. Privatized land; extended the war.
• D. Privatized land; ended the war.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that the Bolsheviks aimed to win popular support by acting on two urgent promises: land for the peasants and an end to Russia’s involvement in World War I. The Land Decree declared that land owned by landlords and the church would be transferred to the peasant communes, putting land into peasant hands rather than keeping it in aristocratic or religious control. The Peace Decree called for an immediate armistice and negotiations to end the war, reflecting the desire to withdraw from a costly conflict as soon as possible.

Together, these decrees show the Bolsheviks prioritizing quick gains for peasants and a swift exit from the war, which helped them consolidate power at a crucial moment. The other options don’t fit because they imply nationalizing all industry, privatizing land, or prolonging the war—none of which describe what the decrees actually sought to do.