2 Developments 1900-1917 Flashcards
Strip-farming was still used by
90% peasants
Where was farming more modern?
In the frontier areas
Cities were merely…
Outposts for seasonal workers
Problems of working in cities
Low wages
Poor conditions
High mortality rates (St Petersburg highest death rate out of all European capitals)
Typhus and cholera (cholera epidemic 100,000 die in 1910)
Income per capita was…
Less than half of that in Germany and France
Literacy levels increased to…
75% among skilled workers
60% in general population
But was still 40% in countryside
What was legalised in 1906?
Trade unions
Describe Stolypin’s agricultural reforms 1906-1907
Primarily wanted to increase peasant land ownership, so tried to encourage peasants to consolidate strips into farms and leave commune
3.5 million migrate to Siberia due to financial incentives
Abolished redemption payments (but in reality they hadn’t been paid in full for some time)
Mirs could no longer stop peasants from leaving and could be dissolved if uncooperative
Impact of Stolypin’s land reforms
In 1914, only about 10% of Euro-Russian peasants had set up farms separate from communes
The reforms were more successful in the west, but this was where reform was least needed
Land controlled by village commune fell from 75% to 60% in 1914
Women in the workforce
Increased to 33%
Paid less than half that of men
What happened in 1912?
Lena Goldfields Massacre
500 killed
Number of factory workers increase
Tripled from 2 million in 1900 to 6 million 1913
How did working conditions improve?
1912 safety inspectors introduced
Workers began to benefit from insurance schemes
Strike action from 1912
Increased following Lena Goldfields Massacre
By 1914 there were over 3500 industrial stoppages
__% properties in St Petersburg had no ___ in 1914
40%
Running water or sewage system
Rank the positivity of change for peasants/workers, the middle class, and the nobility
- Middle class (had it the best)
- Nobility (just holding onto status)
- Peasants/workers (baaad)
How did the middle class experience positive change?
Influence grew in Zemstva and got more involved in Dumas in 1908
The need for specialists grew as the economy diversified (4,000 agronomists in countryside)
How did the nobility maintain their power?
Some when bankrupt, but those who didn’t maintained positions in zemstva
Nicholas II encouraged noble influence and never introduced progressive income taxes
Improvements in education
Government expenditure increased from 5 million roubles in 1896 to 82 million in 1914
85% increase of those in primary education 1905-1914
How many Russian soldiers died in WW2?
Over 2 million
Caloric intake of workers after war started
1914-1916 fell by 1/4
When did Nicholas II take personal charge of the army?
1915
Between ____ and ___, grain production grew by ___% annually
Between 1883 and 1914, grain production grew by 2.1% annually
