1881-1924 Flashcards
When was Stolypin Assassinated?
1911
What major act did Alexander III pass to repress his political opposition in 1881 and what did it do?
The 1881 Statute of State Security - gave ability to ban public meetings and imprison suspected opponents of the state without trial.
What did the October Manifesto say?
It created an elected Duma with actual authority and laws issued by the Tsar needed approval from it
What were the two focuses of Witte’s policies to improve the Russian economy?
Improving Railways (Building the Trans Siberian Railway) and getting foreign investment by putting the rouble on the gold standard
What were the cons of Witte’s policies?
Taxes were raised too high, government gained enormous debts and agriculture wasn’t improved even though it was a big part of the economy
What’s were the pros of Witte’s policies ?
Massive increase in coal and iron production and growth averaged 8% in the 1890s
Who were the Liberal Party?
A moderate party that came about from the zemstva that weren’t opposed to tsarist but wanted a constitutional government
Who were the Socialist Revolutionaries?
They were a radical party that wanted to overthrow the tsar and redistribute land to the peasantry
Who were the Social Democrats?
They were a radical Marxist party. They later split into the Bolshevik and the Menshevik parties
Why did the opposition not get very far under the reign of Alexander III?
They were all too small, they could not work together and were constantly harassed by the Okhrana
What was Bloody Sunday?
A peaceful protest in 1905 where the tsar ordered the army to open fire on the protesters, sparking the 1905 revolution
What did Nicholas II do to restore stability and end the 1905 revolution?
Introduced the October Manifesto
Why was the 1905 Revolution not massively detrimental to the Tsar?
He had the military on his side, the opposition was surprised and couldn’t coordinate an effective opposition, and many opposition leaders were in exile and couldn’t do anything.
What was ‘The Fundamental Law of the Russian Empire’?
A law issued by Nicholas II after the October Manifesto helped to stabilise the nation which went back on many of the promises made and reasserted his powers as Tsar
What did the First Duma do and how long did it last?
It demanded things such as land reforms and suffrage for all adult males but made no progress before being dissolved by the Tsar in only 72 days
What did the second Duma do and how long did it last?
Passed important land reform proposed by Stolypin and lasted 4 months
What did the third and fourth Dumas do?
Replaced Land Captains and legalised opposition parties
What was the problem with the armed forces in WWI?
There were terrible supply of food weapons and ammunition
What was the problem with the railways in WWI?
They were already overloaded in peacetime and so by 1916 it had collapsed under the increased wartime pressure
What was wrong with the economy in WWI?
The gold standard was abandoned in 1914 causing massive inflation and peasants began hoarding grain in hopes of better future prices and so bread prices tripled
What was the problem of the leadership of the country in WWI?
The Tsar left to new commander in chief of the army and left the GERMAN Tsarina and Rasputin in charge who caused massive instability in the government by changing ministers constantly and just running the country badly
What was political opposition like in WWI?
After their demands were rejected again in 1915 the parties unit read to form the Progressive Bloc
What were the political problems that were part of the factors leading up to the February Revolution 1917?
Nicholas II was reluctant to give any power to the Duma and would not pass any major reform, despite the Duma having a lot of potential to become independently powerful and was accepted as a part of political life, signifying a popular shift from autocracy
What were the personal issues of Nicholas II as factors leading towards Feb 1917?
He was not an effective leader and he even admitted it, and took too much disastrous advice from Rasputin and the Tsarina. BUT he had a Romanov parade and it was widely celebrated showing his popularity had grown since 1905
What were the Economic issues during 1917 that lead to the revolution?
Famine was common, Towns were overcrowded with poor sanitation and workers were paid little for back breaking work
Summarise the state of Russia in January 1917 ( 3 main points )
People were starving. 5 million Russian army casualties. The tsar was warned by the Okhrana and the President of the Duma that revolution was likely but he ignored both warnings
What was the key difference in why 1917 succeeded but 1905 failed?
In 1905 the Tsar had support of the Army but in 1917 a majority of the military refused to open fire on the protesters as there was widespread support for the protest amidst all classes
Describe the main events of the 1917 Revolution
The Tsar ordered the army to suppress the protest but they mutinied. The Tsar ordered the Duma to shut down but they ignored him and set up the Provisional Committee. High Command of the army ordered the military to obey the orders of the Provisional Committee. Petrograd Soviet was formed.
What was the purpose of the Provisional Government?
To govern until a Constituent Assembly is formed