# Questionnaire for the Bourgeoisie explained — Ten Days That Shook the World

> Chapter companion for Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed.

## What happens

John Reed describes the Bolsheviks' use of a questionnaire to gather evidence against the bourgeoisie, exposing their counterrevolutionary activities and property holdings. The chapter illustrates the revolutionary tribunal's efforts to document and prosecute class enemies through systematic interrogation.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class Conflict and Polarization

The questionnaire is a tool to identify and punish the bourgeoisie, deepening class divisions.

### Establishment of Revolutionary Tribunals and Cheka

The questionnaire process is part of the revolutionary tribunal system.

## Character check-ins

### John Reed

Narrator and observer of the Bolshevik questionnaire process.

### Vladimir Lenin

Implied leader behind the revolutionary decrees and tribunals.

### Leon Trotsky

Key figure in the revolutionary government's enforcement measures.

## Key lines

> The Bolsheviks distributed a questionnaire to all bourgeois citizens, demanding details of their property, income, and political affiliations.

The Bolsheviks required every bourgeois citizen to fill out a form listing their assets, earnings, and political ties.

_Illustrates the systematic documentation of class enemies._

> Those who refused to answer or gave false information were subject to arrest and trial by revolutionary tribunal.

Refusing to answer or lying could lead to arrest and a tribunal trial.

_Highlights the coercive nature of the questionnaire._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ten_days_that_shook_the_world_se/chapters/3-questionnaire-for-the-bourgeoisie
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ten_days_that_shook_the_world_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ten_days_that_shook_the_world_se/chapters