1.1 CONDITION OF RUSSIA BEFORE REV

Question 1

WHAT WAS RUSSIA KNOWN AS BEFORE THE FEBRUARY REVOLUTION

Answer 1

• an autocracy
• ruled by one person with no limits to their power
• this person was nicolas tsar

Question 2

WHAT WAS THE PROBLEMS WITH NICOLAS’ PERSONALITY THAT WEAKENED HIS AUTHORITY

Answer 2

• believed in his complete divine right to rule
• he was stubborn and saw advice as criticism
• undermined ministers to stop anyone challenging his authority

Question 3

HOW DID THE ROLES OF ALEXANDRA AND RASPUTIN WEAKEN NICOLAS’S AUTHORITY

Answer 3

• Alexandra encouraged Nicolas to listen to Rasputin but then Rasputin became more powerful than many minsters which undermined support for the tsar at court
• Rasputin had reputation for sexual promicuity. rumours about rasputin and alexandra were damaging to Nicolas’ authority

Question 4

HOW DID NICOLAS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STATE DUMA WEAKEN HIS AUTHORITY

Answer 4

• Nicolas forced to allow a state duma (elected representative assembly) to form in 1906
• the duma held meetings to debate politics and legislation
• Nicolas refused to share any real power with the duma frustrating those who were hoping for a more democratic approach to Russia’s government.
• this meant that Nicolas remained responsible for Russia’s problems

Question 5

HOW DID RUSSIAS PROBLEMS WEAKEN NICOLAS

Answer 5

• Nicolas and Alexandra believed there was a religious bond between the tsar and the people.
• they believed Russia should put their faith in god an tradition
• this meant that Nicolas did not actively try and solve Russia problems believing they were in the tsars hands

Question 6

WHAT WAS THE LIBERAL OPPOSITION TO TSARISM

Answer 6

• a loose collection of groups that favoured reform and a constitutional monarchy
• included the constitutional democrats( known as the cadets), the octoberists and the progressives

Question 7

WHAT WAS THE SOCIAL REVOLUTIONARY OPPSITION TO THE TSAR

Answer 7

• Socialist revolutionary party was founded in 1901
• represented peasantry interests, including land reform
• it suffered from internal divisions as some extreme SRs believed in political assassination but the moderate wing gained influenced after 1905

Question 8

WHAT WAS THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS OPPOSITION TO THE TSAR

Answer 8

• Represented the proletariat- industrial working class

- it spilt into the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks following arguments about how to apply Marxism to Russian situation

Question 9

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MAIN REASONS RUSSIA SUFFERED HEAVILY IN THE WAR AND GIVE AN EXAMPLE

Answer 9

• a lack of weapons, ammunition, equipment and clothing for Russian troops contributed to numerous defeats
• for example, battle of tannenburg 300000 russians killed or wounded, thousands taken prisoner

Question 10

WHAT WAS THE UNION OF ZEMSTVA

Answer 10

• To provide medical facilities which the state seemed to neglect.
• factory owners and businessmen set up a congress of representatives of industry and business to help co-ordinate their production for the war effort

Question 11

WHAT HAPPENED IN JUNE 1915

Answer 11

• all Russian union of zmestva and cities were formed, chaired by prince Lvov (later lead the PG)
• Nicolas refused to let this civilian organisation take any part in his governments management of the war

Question 12

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE PROGRESSIVE BLOC IN AUGUST 1915

Answer 12

• progressive bloc demanded that responsibility for the war would be handed over to the civilian government.
• Nicolas refused which increased the liberal discontent with the tsarist government even further

Question 13

WHAT DID NICOLAS DO IN SEPTEMBER 1915

Answer 13

• took on the role of commander in chief in Russia, despite lacking enough military experience
• made him directly responsible for everything that went wrong with the war

Question 14

DUE TO NICOLAS NEW ROLE IN SEP 1915 WHAT DID THIS LEAVE

Answer 14

• left Alexandra to govern in Petrograd
• Alexandra’s reliance on Rasputin a peasant applied to the aristocracy
• one of the tsars relations, prince Yusupov assassinated Rasputin in December 1916

Question 15

LIST REASONS FOR FOOD SHORTAGES

Answer 15

• the millions of men conscripted into the army caused labpur shortages on farms and factories reducing food supplies
• peasants hoarded their grain rather than sold it
• food supplies were prioritised for the army leaving towns undersupplied
• the railway system was turned over to transporting military supplies . supplying towns was a lower priority

Question 16

LIST THREE REASONS FOR THE SOARING COST OF LIVING

Answer 16

• To pay for war, the government raised taxes and took on huge loans
• shortages of food and manufactured products raised prices higher and higher leading to inflation
• unemployment increased as non military factories were forced to close because of a lack of supplies

Question 17

WHAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF THE FOOD SHORTAGES

Answer 17

• increased death rate of workers in towns and cities
• this combined with increased cost of living and rising unemployment led to unrest and strikes
• in january 1917, 30000 workers went on strike in moscow and 145,000 went on strike in petrograd

Question 18

EXPLAIN HOW AND WHY THE DISCONTENT GREW IN RUSSIA AT THIS TIME

Answer 18

• expressed towards those in positions of power, in the army it was expressed in strikes, unrest in the countryside and sections from the armed forces.
• the tsars refusal to cooperated with the progressive bloc increased political discontent. progressives discussed the abdication of the tsar
• although workers and soldiers were increasingly open to radical political influences, most radical opponents of tsarism were in exile or in prison