Revolutions are major turning points in history. They represent dramatic shifts in power and society. Riddles about revolution test one’s knowledge of famous uprisings and rebellions throughout history. Solving revolution riddles requires understanding the key events, people, and ideas behind various revolutions. This article presents 65 challenging riddles about revolutions from around the world. Each riddle is followed by its answer to test your knowledge of revolutionary history.
Riddles about Famous Revolutions
American Revolution
1. We refused to pay a tax on our breakfast drink. We dumped it into the sea to make a point. What famous act of defiance started a revolution?
The Boston Tea Party
2. Redcoats marched towards Concord to seize our supplies. But we were ready at the Old North Bridge and fired the “shot heard round the world.” What early Revolutionary War battle began America’s fight for independence?
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
3. After eight years of fighting, Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. We had beaten the British with help from the French fleet. What was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War?
The Battle of Yorktown
4. Thomas Jefferson wrote our founding document, but I edited it and am known as the “Father of the Constitution.” Who am I?
James Madison
5. I wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became the third President. My famous Virginia home is called Monticello. Who am I?
Thomas Jefferson
French Revolution
6. Our extravagant queen allegedly said “Let them eat cake” when told the peasants had no bread. My husband Louis XVI and I lost our heads in the revolution. Who am I?
Marie Antoinette
7. From the Tennis Court at Versailles, we swore an oath not to disband until we gave France a constitution. What historic oath helped start the French Revolution?
The Tennis Court Oath
8. I wrote “The Rights of Man” supporting revolution, so the Jacobins declared me an honorary French citizen. But in England I was jailed for criticizing the monarchy. Who am I?
Thomas Paine
9. My faction controlled the National Convention during the Reign of Terror. Under my leadership, thousands were guillotined. Who was I?
Maximilien Robespierre
10. After King Louis XVI was executed, I said “Now we must make Europe republican.” I helped the French army defeat its enemies but was overthrown in 1799. Who am I?
Napoleon Bonaparte
Russian Revolution
11. My Marxist theories on class struggle shaped 20th century politics. With Friedrich Engels, I wrote The Communist Manifesto. Who am I?
Karl Marx
12. I led the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution and became the first leader of the Soviet Union. Who am I?
Vladimir Lenin
13. The Bolsheviks stormed our palace in Saint Petersburg in 1917, arresting my family and ending 300 years of our rule in Russia. What dynasty did I belong to?
The Romanovs
14. My secret police suppressed opposition after the Bolsheviks seized power. I helped Stalin carry out the Great Purge of the 1930s. Who am I?
Lavrentiy Beria
15. Stalin exiled me after I criticized his regime. Decades later, my policies of glasnost and perestroika led to democratic reforms. I’m the last Soviet leader. Who am I?
Mikhail Gorbachev
Chinese Revolutions
16. We worshipped the “God Worshippers” to rid China of foreign oppression in the 1850s and 60s. But our Taiping Rebellion failed to topple the Qing dynasty. Who were we?
The Taiping Rebels
17. After decades of tension, my supporters stormed police headquarters in Wuchang in 1911, starting a rebellion that overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty. Who am I?
Sun Yat-sen
18. My followers held proletarian views, so my Communist Party defeated the Nationalists in the Chinese Civil War. I proclaimed the People’s Republic in 1949. Who am I?
Mao Zedong
19. I reacted against Mao’s radical policies by instituting free-market reforms after becoming supreme leader in 1978. Who am I?
Deng Xiaoping
Other Major Revolutions
20. Mohandas Gandhi led our nonviolent civil disobedience movement against British rule. Who were we?
India’s Independence Movement
21. Slaves in our French colony rose up in 1791. Toussaint L’Ouverture led us to abolish slavery and gain independence in 1804. What nation did we become?
Haiti
22. Simon Bolivar led our wars of independence in South America. Francisco de Miranda and I also helped overthrow Spanish rule. Who are we?
The Latin American Revolutionaries
23. I wrote The Second Sex, which became a feminist manifesto. I was active in the French resistance during WWII. Who am I?
Simone de Beauvoir
24. My nonviolent protests and philosophy of satyagraha promoted Indian self-rule. I famously led the Salt March to Dandi in 1930. Who am I?
Mahatma Gandhi
25. I rebelled against British taxes by dressing as Mohawk Indians and dumping tea into Boston Harbor in 1773. What was I?
The Boston Tea Party
Riddles about Revolutionary Ideas
26. I said political power comes from the barrel of a gun. My Little Red Book inspired Red Guards during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Who am I?
Mao Zedong
27. I wrote that full communism would occur after socialism, a transitional stage where the state withered away. Who am I?
Karl Marx
28. My 95 Theses criticized indulgences and corruption in the Catholic Church, sparking the Protestant Reformation. Who am I?
Martin Luther
29. I documented poverty in The People of the Abyss. My novel The Iron Heel predicted a dystopian oligarchy in America. Who am I?
Jack London
30. My book The Feminine Mystique helped launch second-wave feminism in 1963. I was a founder of the National Organization for Women. Who am I?
Betty Friedan
31. I said “One’s place in society should be determined by merit and accomplishment.” My influential essay “Self-Reliance” promoted individualism. Who am I?
Ralph Waldo Emerson
32. My theory of evolution by natural selection revolutionized biology and challenged religious views on creation. Who am I?
Charles Darwin
33. I imagined a classless utopia in my political treatise The Republic. My writings on truth and justice founded Western philosophy. Who am I?
Plato
34. My 95 Theses led to the Protestant Reformation. I opposed Catholic doctrines on salvation and translated the Bible into German. Who am I?
Martin Luther
35. I wrote Common Sense to inspire the American Revolution, stating “We have it in our power to make the world over again.” Who am I?
Thomas Paine
Riddles about Revolutionary Leaders
36. I led India to independence using peaceful civil disobedience. Who am I?
Mahatma Gandhi
37. My night ride warned colonists that the British were marching to seize our arms and powder in Concord. Who am I?
Paul Revere
38. My guerrilla army defeated Napoleon’s forces on horseback. I’m known as the George Washington of South America. Who am I?
Simon Bolivar
39. I was a founding father who wrote the Declaration of Independence. I also served as America’s third president. Who am I?
Thomas Jefferson
40. I led the Bolsheviks in Russia’s October Revolution and became the first Soviet premier. Who am I?
Vladimir Lenin
41. I was a silversmith who led the Sons of Liberty against British rule. My name is on the Declaration of Independence. Who am I?
Samuel Adams
42. Mohandas Gandhi called me “a father who had delivered us.” I advocated nonviolence during India’s independence struggle. Who am I?
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
43. I led the French army after the revolution and crowned myself emperor. My conquests spread revolutionary ideals across Europe. Who am I?
Napoleon Bonaparte
44. I led Mexico’s revolution against dictator Porfirio Diaz and enacting major reforms as president. Who am I?
Francisco Madero
45. I helped draft the U.S. Constitution and co-wrote the Federalist Papers supporting its ratification. Who am I?
James Madison
Riddles about Revolutionary Symbols
46. I represent liberty leading the people forward. I wear a Phrygian cap and wave the tricolor flag in Delacroix’s famous painting of the French Revolution. What am I?
Liberty
47. My famous ride warned the colonists in Lexington and Concord that the British were coming. Who am I?
Paul Revere
48. Patrick Henry declared “Give me liberty or give me…” what at the Second Virginia Convention?
Death
49. Minutemen grabbed these from above the fireplace when called to fight the Redcoats at Lexington and Concord. What revolutionary weapons?
Muskets
50. Red or Phrygian ones became symbols of liberty in France. What type of caps?
Liberty caps
Riddles about Revolutionary Slogans & Writings
51. Mao’s Little Red Book contained many of these simple sayings used to inspire revolutionary action in China. What’s the term?
Quotations
52. Marx said this class was destined to overthrow capitalism and establish communism. What social group did he refer to?
The proletariat
53. What 1776 document did Thomas Jefferson draft declaring the 13 American colonies’ independence?
The Declaration of Independence
54. Patrick Henry declared “Give me liberty or give me…” what, according to legend?
Death
55. What 1848 pamphlet did Marx and Engels write laying out Communist theory and principles?
The Communist Manifesto
Riddles about Revolutionary Places & Events
56. Minutemen and Redcoats clashed at North Bridge in this Massachusetts town, starting the American Revolution.
Concord
57. Washington forced Cornwallis’ surrender at the siege of this decisive Revolutionary War battle in Virginia.
Yorktown
58. The Bastille prison took this color when torn down during the French Revolution.
Red
59. Bolsheviks stormed this Russian palace in 1917, ousting the tsar and starting the Russian Revolution.
Winter Palace
60. Gandhi led protesters on this 24-day march in 1930 to protest the British salt tax.
The Salt March
Riddles about Effects of Revolutions
61. Robespierre sent many French nobles and citizens to this during the Reign of Terror.
The guillotine
62. This 1794 device killed thousands during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror.
The guillotine
63. Revolutionary tribunals during France’s Reign of Terror often found suspects guilty of made-up crimes like this before sending them to the guillotine.
Conspiring against the Republic
64. Lenin’s Bolshevik Revolution led to the creation of this atheist governmental system.
Communism
65. Gandhi’s nonviolent approach inspired this American civil rights leader.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Conclusion
Revolutions have dramatically changed the course of history around the world. The riddles in this article test your knowledge of the causes, leaders, events, slogans, writings, and effects of various revolutions. How many were you able to solve correctly? Revolutions, both peaceful and violent, have toppled oppressive regimes, ended colonial rule, advanced rights, and spread bold new political ideas over the past few centuries. Understanding the pivotal revolutions covered in these riddles provides insight into the revolutionary ideas and leaders who changed history and shaped the modern world.
