4. The 1905 Revolution Flashcards
What the revolution?
A revolution broke out in 1905 when soldiers fired on 200 000 workers who had marched to the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, the capital, to present a petition to the tsar.
What did this petition ask for?
Improved working conditions and basic human rights
What was the Bloody Sunday massacre?
The event when unarmed demonstrators were fired upon by soldiers of the imperial guard as they marched towards the Winter Palace to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II Of Russia.
What happened after the Bloody Sunday Massacre?
It sparked off strikes, demonstrations, riots,mutinies and unrest throughout Russia. This unrest fueled protests against the government.
What did workers in St. Petersburg form?
The first Soviet, to organize the protests and to put together the worker’s demands . Soon Soviets were formed in other parts of Russia too.
Who was Leon Trotsky? And what did he write?
A Social Democrat who then supported the Mensheviks and was an important leader of the St. Petersburg Soviet. He wrote pamphlets and newspaper articles to inspire workers.
Although the tsar closed down the Soviet and _____ was sent to prison, many people realized he was an outstanding leader.
Trotsky
State the demands of the petition:(5)
- amnesty
- civil liberties
- fair wages
- gradual transfer of land to the people
- meeting of Constituent assembly on the basis of universal and equal suffrage
What is amnesty?
Official pardon for past crimes
What are civil liberties?
Rights that protect people from abuse by governments
What is a constituent assembly?
A body elected to draw up a consistution; a parliament
What is equal suffrage?
A vote for all people no matter their class, gender, religion or race
What did the uneducated workers proveL
They were straightforward people awakened to political consciousness.
What is political consciousness?
Awareness of political issues, how the system works and how it needs changing.
What did the tsar establish to stop protests?
Russia’s first duma
What was the duma and what did it entail and how did it keep the tsar in power?
Parliament,. All adult men could vote and the duma could pass new laws . The promise of reform, and the fact that the armed forces remained loyal to him, kept the tsar in power.
Some groups welcomed the establishment of a ____, but Lenin didn’t believe that it would lead to real _____. He was proved correct when the tsar dismissed the first two dumas after only a few months because he felt their demands were too ____. He made sure it had no real power.
Duma
Change
Radical
What did socialists previously believe needed to happen before a revolution could take place?
Socialists had believed that change would by workers in an industrialized country, where old society of landlords and peasants had already been overturned by a capitalist class, such in France and Britain.
Trotsky argued Russia didn’t need to be industrialized for a revolution to occur so what did he suggest?
A small but unified working class could start a revolution in a mainly rural peasant society.
How did the Revolution and Trotsky influence Lenin?
He was influenced about the importance of organizing the industrial workers to lead the Revolution without alliances or other parties.
Who did Lenin believe could bring about change?
A small and well-organized group of vanguard (leading) revolutionaries.
What is a vanguard?
A small organized group which takes lead.
What did the 1905 revolution show?(2)
- It showed how mass participation of workers and peasants could be a powerful force for change. These events greatly influenced later revolutionary leaders such as Trotsky and Lenin.
- It also showed that the Tsarist government was still strong enough to keep control.
Which event led to the downfall of the tsar?
First World War which started in 1914
Why was the First World War such a failure for Russia?(3)
- joined the allied forces but was badly prepared for war
- lacked money to manufacture weapons,feed,clothe and train soldiers
- Russians killed or taken prisoner
Who defeated the Russians several times?
The German army
What was the effect of the war on Russia?
- great starins on Russian economy
- agriculture and industry were affected by military conscription
- 100’s Of factories closed down because of shortages of raw mats,fuel and labour
