AOS1 Flashcards
Coronation of Tsar Nicholas II
26 November 1896
Russo-Japanese War
1904-1905
conflict in Asia
More than 10,000 russian sailors killed, Japan 690
Exacerbated existing problems of tsarist regime
Significant spark for uprisings in 1905
Bloody Sunday
9 January 1905
Poor working conditions, food and house shortages.
3 January Putilov Steel workers strike after 5 men sacked. Sympathetic strikes throughout St petersburg followed.
15,000 workers by 7 January. City had no electricity, newspapers and public areas closed on 8 January.
111, 000 marched
Petition signed by 135, 000 workers
Government reported 96 killed and 333 wounded.
Estimated 200 killed and 800 wounded
1905 revolution
January to October
Mutinies and strikes
Trotsky establishes the soviets
spontaneous peasant revolts in July, looting and burning estates, demanding for transfer of land to peasantry
September army troops mutiny and controlled a section of Trans-Siberian railway
October 1905
General widespread strikes paralysing the economy.
Began in st petersburg spreading to moscow.
Businesses, universities, railways, shops, banks closed. Economy halted.
Forced Tsar to react.
October Manifesto
26 October 1905
Tsar Nicholas submits to popular demand and creates the political body the Duma becoming a constitutional monarchy
Sergei Witte becomes prime minister, arrests entire soviet, Trotsky exiled to Siberia
Sergei Witte
industrialised russia
built trans siberian railway
Historian interpretation
Sheila Fitzpatrick argues the popular movements of 1905 were a very militant industrial working class
Orlando Figes argues after 1905 society had changed for good
1906-1911
Peter Stolypin
Prime Minister
strengthened Tsarist regime
limited power of the Dumas, strengthened the economy and eliminated revolutionary opposition
Fundamental State Laws
23 April 1906
Issued by the Tsar four days before the opening of the Duma
His reassertion of absolute authority rendered the Duma powerless.
‘Supreme Autocratic power belongs to the Emperor’
First Duma
April - July 1906
dismissed for its radical demands
Second Duma
February - June 1907
dismissed again for radical demands
some demands of both Dumas
Constitution, state, church and private land to peasants, universal free education, equality in the law and tax
Third Duma
1907 - 1912
served full five years, illegal changes to the electoral laws had ensured it was conservative with limited worker, peasant and national minority representatives.
no official influence over government decisions
Assassination of Stolypin
shot at a gala in Kiev
Nicholas stopped land and social reforms
Lena Goldfields massacre
4 April 1912
gold miners were massacred for striking for better working conditions
70% of workers had been injured
Demanded 30% increase in wage, decrease in fines, set prices on food in company shop.
soldiers fired on crowd 500 killed or wounded
Key strike statistic
strikes at low in 1910 47,000 participants.
More than 10,000 in St Petersburg in May 1912
1 337 000 went on strike in first half of 1914.
Separation of bolsheviks and mensheviks
1912
Russia enters WWI
1914
increased nationalistic fervour
Russian army was the largest in the world 13 million mobilised soldiers. More than Germany and Austria combined.
Majority were conscripted peasants with little training. Poor military leadership, critical lack of ammunition, supplies and organisation
In first 12 months more than 4 million men lost
By 1916 four and a half times more men captured than killed. Britain had five times more men killed than captured.
Battle of Tannenberg
18 August
13 000 deaths, POW 100 000
Battle of Masurian Lakes
2 September
Entire army unit surrounded and forced to surrender.
Tsar takes command of the army
August 1915
He is blamed for the failing war effort
abandoned Petrograd
Tsarina and Rasputin
1915-1916
Alexandra was German
conspiracies about the influence of Rasputin, an affair between the two and the Tsarina favouring pro-german policy
Economic impacts of war
Cost 4.7 times the total government expenditure in 1913
Borrowed money from allied countries
October wages rose 50% but goods between 100% - 500%
fuel shortages heightened by freezing winter factories operated for limited periods or shut down
unemployment increased.
social impacts of war
Violent resistance to conscription
Women lying on tracks
Anti war sentiment
Wars impact on rev
Tsar lost loyalty of most sections of pop
Military failures lost faith of the army and conscripted families
Tsarina and Rasputin control of internal affairs disillusioned ruling elite and middle class intelligentsia.
Economic hardships made life unbearable for industrial workers, peasants and their families.
Discontent in old order was now targeted at Autocratic Tsarism itself.
February revolution
23 February - 3 March
18 feb 20 000 workers locked out of Putilov steel works resulting in strikes of all the workers.
(Start of feb rev) 23 Feb international women’s day saw 90 000 women marching streets of Petrograd against lack of food and war
24 Feb - 200 000 workers were on strike. Cossacks patrolled but didn’t fire.
25 Feb 240 000 strikers. City comes to stand still. Public transport and newspapers stopped.
26 feb soldiers began to join strikes becoming dangerous revolts. Many tried to clear streets but several among crowds fired at police. Tsar ordered Duma to cease meeting. Rodzianko tried to pressures Tsar into action.
27 feb workers controlled entire city except winter palace, admiralty and telegraph installations.15 000 political prisoners and criminals released. Gvt records burnt. Rodzianko continues to pressure Tsar into action. 12 members of Duma refused to dissolve, formed a provisional committee. John Pollock, an English journalist estimated 40 000 soldiers had mutinied; others estimate 75 000.
28 Feb escalated to extreme violence. Police with machine guns and rifles positioned themselves at the top of high buildings. Provisional committee declares itself provisional gvt. Soldiers and workers formed the Petrograd Soviet.
Provisional Government
28 February 1917
Soviet Order No. 1
1 March 1917
military orders were only to be obeyed if approved by the Soviet. It affirmed that the Soviet had the real authority and control of Petrograd.
Tsar approves provisional government
Abdication of the Tsar
2 March 1917
ended the 300 year Romanov Dynasty
Reforms of the Provisional Government
Full amnesty of political and religious prisoners
Freedom of speech
Freedom of press
Freedom to strike and assemble in unions
Abolition of class, religious and national restrictions
Preparations for a vote
Okhrana replaced by people’s militia
Election of local councils
Gained power by default rather than being elected so weren’t very popular
Lenins return and speech at Finland Station
3 April 1917
Calls for the overthrow of the provisional government. ‘Peace, land, bread!’
Lenins April Thesis
4 April 1917
A second revolution was needed to overthrow the corrupt provisional government.
The soviet led by bolsheviks was the only possible form of government.
June offensive
18-20 June 1917
Attempt to boost morale and unity in the army.
Organisation to country.
Kerensky’s failed attack on the Austrians and Germans. Fuelled Lenin’s arguments for withdrawing from the imperialist war.
20 000 casualties
Economic, social problems
Peasant uprisings took control of land.
Soldiers desertion.
July days
This failed revolt seemingly signalled the end of the Bolshevik leadership and party, and the final victory of Kerensky and the Provisional Government.
568 factories closed down
104 000 were dismissed
Half a million protesters
Kerensky used royal troops to disperse protesters
Kerensky becomes prime minister.
Bolsheviks blamed for disturbances. Lenin escapes to finland.
Trotsky became a member of bolsheviks
Kornilov Revolt
26 August 1917
Exposed provisional government’s weakness and lack of military support. Trotsky released from prison, earned great respect by forming the Red Guard to defend Petrograd against fear of Kornilov staging a coup.
Major turning point that allowed bolsheviks to regain power.
Kornilov warns of need to protect petrograd against advancing germans
Fear he was planning a coup
Bolsheviks released from prison trotsky forms red guard from 40 000 radical workers
Return of Lenin
7 October 1917
The timing of, support and strategies for the October revolution were implemented through Lenin’s persuasion.
10 October Lenin persuades the congress of soviets that an armed insurrection was necessary.
Kerensky reacts, bolshevik newspaper shut down, wires cut to hq, women’s battalion and kadets sent to protect winter palace cossacks.
Lynch
In October 1917 the Bolsheviks were pushing against an already open door.
Darby
no WWI, no october revolution
