3. Opposition to Tsarism Flashcards
What was life like for peasants in Tsarist Russia?
Peasants made up 80% of the Russian population in 1894 and lived a hard life of gruelling work, large debt and high taxes, with many owning little or no land.
What counter-reforms did Nicholas make which created resentment among the peasants?
He replaced the Zemstovs (committees elected by local people) as the key authority in local gov with Land Captains who managed the work of the peasants and administered law and order. The peasants lost the right to elect people to the Zemstovs, with the Land Captain having the ability to make the final decision on who were allowed to serve on the Zemstovs.
What was life like for urban workers in Tsarist Russia?
Urban factory workers made up 4% of the population in 1894, having emerged as a result of Sergei Witte’s attempt to industrialise the economy in the 1890s. The workers were better paid than the peasants but factories were dangerous and they lived in squalid conditions in the large slums of the major cities like Vyborg. The working conditions were tough, with many forced to work a 17-hour day and many subject to physical and verbal abuse by factory managers. The high mortality rate and poor conditions led to strikes and the growth of socialist groups.
What was the League of Liberation?
In 1903, the middle class opponents of autocracy formed the League of Liberation, led by Milyukov and Struve. Russia’s bourgeoisie made up about 1.5% of the population in 1894 and they mostly tended to want a democratic Russia which consisted of a gov that respected individual rights and a gov that was made up of elected representatives who made the laws.
What were the League of Liberation’s demands?
Newly formed, the League of Liberation published a programme in early 1904 after their first Congress. The programme put forward demands which included:
. An end to autocracy
. Democratic gov based on universal suffrage
. A maximum eight hour day for workers
. Redistribution of land to the peasants
. Self-determination for all nations that were part of the empire
What was the composition of the League?
It represented two groups - the urban middle-class intellectuals and people who held elected positions in the Zemstvos. So the League represented liberal opinion in the country and the cities.
How did the government react to the League of Liberation?
It viewed the League as a threat and a danger so the Okhrana arrested the leading members soon after its first Congress.
Who were the Social Democrats?
Socialist opponents to Tsarism, inspired by Karl Marx and established in 1898. They believed that capitalism and industrialisation led to the exploitation of the proletariat so they advocated for a proletarian revolution against capitalism to create a free and equal society.
What is the Marxist theory of revolution and the Marxist -Leninist theory of revolution?
Marxist theory - That history is a series of revolutions. Feudalism (Revolution) –> Bourgeois- capitalism (Revolution) –> Worker’s state = socialism/communism.
Marxist-Leninist theory - Lenin wanted to rethink this theory, he believed that the Vanguard (a small group of elite plotters) could circumvent the Bourgeois-capitalist revolution, therefore saving Russia from 400 years of capitalism. Feudalism (Revolution by the Vanguard) –> Worker’s state.
Why did the SDs split in 1903 in London?
There were divisions within the party, with Lenin and the Bolsheviks believing that the proletariat in Russia was too weak and uneducated to create a revolution so they wanted to the SDs to become a vanguard party who would organise the revolution. Martov and the Mensheviks believed the SDs should be a party that educated and organised the proletariat in order for a revolution to occur.
Who were the Social Revolutionaries?
Socialist opponents of Tsarism who were formed in 1902 and stressed the needs of the peasants. Their main aim was land reform and they believed that Mirs (peasant communes) could become the basis for a new socialist society. There were some members who were influenced by anarchism and nihilism and believed in the importance of revolutionary violence, leading to the assassinations of the Tsar’s education minister in 1901 and and the Minister of the Interior in 1904.
What did the Social Revolutionaries believe about the Social Democrats?
Chernov, the leader of the SRs, was influenced by marxism and believed that the peasants and the proletariat should work together to overthrow the Tsar.
Why was opposition to the Tsar significantly divided?
The Liberals wanted reforms that guaranteed political rights while the Socialists desired a full-scale revolution to change the economic and social structure of Russia. Also, the SDs were split into the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, while the SRs were divided over violence. Sometimes, the Okhrana agents provocateurs infiltrated the parties and stirred up divisions.
What were the government’s methods of repression against opposition?
The Okhrana exiled leading radicals, with Lenin exiled to Siberia. Milyukov and Struve were both banned from attending the first Congress of the League of Liberation.
What was the Ukase?
In 1904, the Tsar issued the Ukase (decree), which stated that the gov would respect individual rights. This divided liberals as some believed it was the first step to serious reform while others believed it would never be implemented.
