AS. Doughton- 3. The impact of revolution in Russia. Flashcards
Background on Russia
Tsar Nicholas II - character
“What is going to happen to me, to all Russia? I am not ready to be the Tsar. I never wanted to become one. I know nothing of the business of ruling. I
have no idea of even how to talk to ministers.”
-Nicholas said this the day after his father died in October 1894.
-“The daily work of a ruler he found terribly
boring. He could not stand listening long or
seriously to ministers’ reports, or reading them.”
-Kerensky, Russian politician PM in 1917
Keyword
Autocracy - A system of government by one person with absolute power.
Tsarist Russia (Background)
About 125 million people lived in Tsar Nicholas’s empire. Less than half of the people who lived in the Russian Empire were Russians.
The many peoples of the Russian Empire were not spread evenly throughout the country. Most
lived on the 5 per cent of the land that was good for farming.
The Government of Russia - The autocracy
Tsar’s power
Tsar Nicholas II, the Emperor of Russia, was an autocrat- a monarch who does not have to
share power. Nicholas could make new laws, increase taxes, do exactly what he liked, without
consulting anyone. There was no parliament to limit his power, and he could sack any minister
or adviser who disagreed with him.
How Russia was governed
In practice Nicholas could not govern 125 million Russians all by himself. To run the affairs of his vast empire the Tsar employed many thousands of civil servants. They were organised into fourteen ranks. At the top were those ministers in charge of government departments. At the bottom were minor officials, such as post office clerks and customs inspectors. The Tsar’s civil service collected taxes from the Russian people and made sure that his decisions were carried out.
The okhrana
The Tsar did not allow people to question his authority or challenge his power. To make sure
that nobody opposed him, Nicholas had a secret police force, the Okhrana. The Okhrana censored all books and newspapers. Its agents spied on political groups and arrested people who criticised the government. Political prisoners were tried by special courts without juries, and usually ended up in exile.
The church in Russia
The church in Russia also helped to maintain the authority of the Tsar. The Russian Orthodox Church taught people to respect the autocracy and to be loyal to the Tsar. The head of the church was a government minister. Bishops took their orders from him and priests took their orders from the bishops. In this way the government had control over the minds and souls of many Russian churchgoers.
The church in Russia
The church in Russia also helped to maintain the authority of the Tsar. The Russian Orthodox Church taught people to respect the autocracy and to be loyal to the Tsar. The head of the church was a government minister. Bishops took their orders from him and priests took their orders from the bishops. In this way the government had control over the minds and souls of many Russian churchgoers.
Russian society
Peasants
In 1900, four out of every five citizens of the Russian Empire were peasants – country people
who made their living by farming. Until 1861 the peasants had been serfs, slaves of their
landlords with no rights, no freedom and no land of their own.
Conditions for peasants
Nearly half of all new-born children died before the age of five, while the average life expectancy of those who did reach the age of five was only fifty years. Diseases and malnutrition were very common. The best that peasants could hope for in life was a good harvest. Then they would have enough to eat – mostly bread and root vegetables – and a little extra to sell at market so they could pay their taxes and redemption payments for the year.
The town workers
Workers like these were unable to improve their conditions. Trade unions were not allowed by
law. Going on strike was illegal. Employers could easily replace troublesome workers who
complained as there were always long queues of unemployed people outside their factory gates
looking for work.
The rich (nobility and capitalists)
By 1900 a new class of Russians was also becoming rich – the capitalists who made money from
banking, industry and trade. The Minister of Finance, Sergei Witte, made it easy for capitalists to
make big profits. He gave them government contracts, particularly for building railways. He
have them loans to build new factories. He cut taxes. With easy profits to be made the capitalists
did little to improve the conditions for their workers. Hatred of the capitalists steadily grew in
the slums and boarding houses of Russia’s cities.
Opponents of the Tsar
Most Russians did not question the Tsar’s autocratic system of government. They believed that God had appointed the Tsar to rule over them and that everyone else had their rightful place in
society. But some people refused to accept this. They wanted to get rid of the Tsar and make big
changes to Russian government and society. Some of them were ready to go to any lengths to
achieve this.
The Socialist Revolutionary Party (SRs)
The SRs, as its members were known, wanted all land in Russia to be given to the mirs, the village communes, so that peasants could have a bigger share of land. This would mean taking away land from the Ts7r, the nobles and the church, who between them owned most of Russia. To help achieve their aims the SRs had a ‘Fighting Organisation’ whose job was to organise terrorist campaigns. Between 1900 and 1905 the ‘Fighting Organisation’ managed to kill three government ministers and dozens of other government officials. The SRs gained support from millions of peasants who wanted their own land but who had fallen behind with their yearly
redemption payments.
The Social Democratic Party
The Social Democratic Party, which followed Marx’s ideas, was set up in 1898. However, its
leaders quickly began to argue about what was the best way to start a socialist revolution. In
1903 they split into two groups, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks.
In a socialist society, Marx thought, people would learn to work together for the good of everyone, not just for themselves. They would stop being selfish and would take only what they needed as payment for their work. At this stage, a system of communism would come into existence, a society in which people work according to their abilities and are paid according to their needs.
SDP - the Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks believed that the revolution should be organised by a small group of dedicated
and skilled revolutionaries, they should lead the party and make all the decisions. The Mensheviks believed that the party should be a mass party with as many working class members as possible. It should be run democratically, with the members electing the leaders and deciding on its policies.
SDP - the Mensheviks
Julius Martov, leader of the Mensheviks, replied that the revolution would fail if it did
not have the support of the working class. The Social Democratic Party remained split on this
issue. Lenin and his supporters failed to reach agreement with Martov and his supporters. So
from 1903 onwards there were three important revolutionary groups in Russia – the Bolsheviks,
the Mensheviks, and the Socialist Revolutionaries.
Liberals
Not all the Tsar’s opponents were violent revolutionaries. Many law-abiding Russians,
particularly those who owned property, were liberals. They supported the Tsar but they wanted
him to share his power. They wanted a democratic system of government, like the one in Britain
where an elected parliament shared power with the monarch.
1905 Revolution
Keywords :
Revolution - A forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favour of a new system.
Duma - The elective legislative assembly established by Tsar Nicholas II in 1905.
Soviet - an elected local, district, or national council.
Long term cause – The Tsarist regime.
The Tsarist regime (political)
Article 1 of the Fundamental Laws, 1832 elucidated the intolerance of opposition. Opposition was not tolerated. Political parties were illegal before 1905 and newspapers and books were censored. The government made use of an extensive secret police network, the Okhrana, to root out dissidents
and people likely to cause trouble. Political critics who organised strikes and protests were often put in prison or sent to exile in Siberia. The large-scale protests, demonstrations and riots that often broke out in times of famine were suppressed by force. The much-feared Cossacks were used to deal with any trouble. The Cossacks were a fiercely independent people who came from the Don area of Russia. Once they had been conquered by the
Russians they became loyal supporters of the tsar and could be trusted to act against other peoples of the empire.
Economic problems.
Around this time the living and working conditions of the country in general was at a poor standard, this was about to be made worse as the
government decided to heavily raise taxes on everyday items like grain and alcohol. Tax was also high which the Russian government decided to invest on the industrial development of Russia. However, in 1902 there was a huge slump in industry as no one in Russia could afford what they were making so there was no demand, this caused a mass loss of jobs in the cities and unemployment rates shot up.
Bad harvests
At this time in rural areas, in an awful coincidence, the harvests were very poor due to bad weather and the people were starving. This angered the public after all of there money was spent on a useless industry, they got violent and the tsar called on troops to crush any disturbances from them. This was the start of the problems the tsar had to face and acted as a spark towards the revolution as it was the first major even that happened.
‘Bloody Sunday’
The immediate prelude to ‘Bloody Sunday’ was a strike by 12000 workers at the Putilove Iron Works in St. Petersburg starting on January 1905. Political demands were included along with demands for higher pay and a shorter working day.
The Russo-Japanese War, 1904-05
The war with Japan arose out of Russia’s expansion policy in the Far East. Japan launched a surprise attack on Russian ships at Port Arthur on 26 January 1904. The Russians underestimated Japan, which had a better trained army and navy, more effective intelligence and was much closer to the action. The Russians suffered several defeats in early 1904 and had to retreat. Public support for the war quickly turned to dismay. In January 1905, Port Arthur fell to the Japanese and in March, the
Russian army was defeated in Maukden. The final humiliation was the naval defeat of the Russian Baltic fleet in May.
Historian Abraham Ascher
Abraham Ascher suggests that Russia might have avoided revolution in 1905 if it had not provoked a war with Japan – the catastrophic defeats, he says, justified the opposition claims that the autocratic government was ‘irresponsible, incompetent and reckless’. The war acted as a catalyst for meltdown in 1905. Also, the economic impact of the war added to the misery of the general population.
Bloody Sunday pt2
At the beginning of 1905, anti-government feelings were running high in the capital, especially when news came through that the Russians had lost Port Arthur. When 4 workers were sacked at the giant Putilov engineering works on 7 January, a strike was called which drew in over 100,000 workers.
strikes
At this stage it was an economic strike concerned with wages and working hours. However, other large industrial enterprises joined in and suddenly
thousands were involved. The situation in the city was becoming tense.
Petition
A priest, Father Gapon, organised a petition and a march to the Winter Palace to seek the help of the Tsar. The petition called for an eight-hour day, minimum wages and more dignified treatment.
The march
Up to 150,000 men, women and children set off on the morning of Sunday 9 January. The march was peaceful and well-disposed towards the tsar. But as the crowd approached the Winter Palace they were charged by cavalry, and troops opened fire. The casualty figures are unclear but some sources put these at around 130 killed and 300 seriously wounded. This event broke the bond between the tsar and the people.
The reaction
The reaction to Bloody Sunday was dramatic. Strikes and disorder quickly spread to other cities and towns. By the end of January, over 400,000 people were out on strike. Demonstrations and disturbances increased in frequency. On 4 February, the Tsar’s own uncle, the Grand Duke Sergei, was assassinated. The shocked regime
had lost its nerve and had lost control of the country.
The February 1917 revolution
Political problems – incompetence of the Tsar
-Poor decisions led to worsening relations with the govt.
-Refused reduction in absolute power.
-Closed the Duma in 1915.
-Declared himself as Commander in Chief of the army. Departed for the Eastern
Front to take control.
-Not well educated in the tactics of war.
-His absence left a weakened govt.
Political problems – The war and the Tsarina
-Tsarina Alexandra left in control.
-Unpopular
-German princess
-Increasing influence over appointment of ministers.
-Appointed incompetent ministers.
Issues with Rasputin
Rasputin was a monk from Siberia. He was rumoured to be a Khlyst, member of an extreme underground sect that had split from the Orthodox Church. He was infamous for his drunkenness and for womanising.
Revolutionary groups
The membership and influence of revolutionary groups had been severely reduced by 1914, mainly through the repressive tactics of Stolypin and the Okhrana. But radical opinion was not defeated: Revolutionary groups survived underground and continued to attract support.
Revolutionaries managed to assassinate Stolypin in 1911. Pravda, the Bolshevik newspaper, was highly popular amongst workers. Despite the Bolsheviks holding influence over many workers, Lenin had no part in bringing about the February Revolution. He believed that revolution should be organised, not developed from unorganised protests.
Impact of World War One
The War brought terrible suffering for soldiers and civilians alike. Best estimates state that almost 2 million Russian soldiers were killed. A similar number of civilians also perished. Morale during this time was very low and the myth of the army as the Russian ‘steamroller’ had been vanquished. The Russian people looked for someone to hold to account for their suffering. In 1915, the Tsar had declared himself Commander in
Chief of the Army. This made him a suitable target for this discontent.
Military defeats
World War One was a total disaster for Russia. The Russian army suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of Germany.
Leadership
In 1915, Tsar Nicholas II took personal command of the army. He left St Petersburg and moved to army headquarters in Russian Poland. Nicholas II may have believed that, by taking charge, his army would be inspired and would fight with renewed vigour. Unfortunately, the Tsar knew little about the command and organisation of large military forces. The series of defeats and humiliations continued. The organisation of the Russian army deteriorated and there were massive shortages of ammunition, equipment, and medical supplies.
Economic effects of the defeats
14 million men were called up to serve in the army between 1914 and 1917.
Prices inflated. especially food and land.
Economic and social problems
By the beginning of 1917, the country was facing virtual economic collapse. Agricultural methods remained backward and still relied on many peasants being able to work the land. Peasant farmers were conscripted which led to a lack of manpower in the farms which led to food shortages.
By 1916, inflation had reached 200 %, the value of the rouble had fallen substantially and the price of goods was soaring. This made life increasingly difficult, particularly for poorer people.
Failures of the October Manifesto (consequence of the 1905 revolution)
The October Manifesto was published to address the unrest. This granted full civil liberties, extended the franchise and ordered elections to a state Duma. This offer pleased the majority of the Russian proletariat. However, the Tsar was dissatisfied with having to make these changes as he felt he should have total control over the Russian Empire. Although the Tsar did establish a nationally elected parliament, the Duma, legalized political parties and trade unions, he undermined these through autocratic rule and the continued activity of the secret police.
What did the Tsar do?
Repealed acts, ensured that no law could be passed without his approval.
The first duma
The first Duma, won by the Kadets was dissolved by the Tsar in only ten weeks as he found it too radical.
The second duma
The second Duma, now containing Bolsheviks and Mensheviks was also a failure as the party was conflicting.
The fall of the Tsar
Nicholas made an attempt to return from the war front to the capital, Petrograd, and reclaim his authority. But in late February revolutionaries diverted the train to Pskov. Isolated and powerless without the support of the army, his reign as Tsar was over - the only option now was abdication.
The Provisional Government
A Provisional Government was formed with Alexander Kerensky in charge. Russia was now a republic.
The main revolutionary parties were taken by surprise—this was a real people’s revolution caused by a sudden risings of workers and soldiers sick of the war, shortages and high prices.
This set up to see the Provisional Government having a confrontation with the
revolutionaries – a group from the SDLP called themselves Bolsheviks.
Problems with the provisional government
Problems were mainly economic. The 10x price rise from 1914-1917 made it impossible for the government to function.
A network of Soviets—elected committees of peasants, workers, and soldiers–was
established and the Petrograd Soviet became an alternative government.
The Soviets told workers and soldiers to keep striking and demonstrating to
undermine the Provisional Government.
The October revolution inspection
Dual government
-Authority of Provisional Government limited by its unofficial partnership with the Petrograd Soviet.
-Soviet had most power. (support of soldiers, factory workers etc.)
-Key groups – country could grind to a halt.
-Soldiers’ allegiance to the Soviet.
How the government dealt with Russia’s problems
The Provisional Government was not an elected body, so it lacked legitimate authority and had no constitutional claim upon the loyalty of the Russian people. Therefore, the people would judge it entirely on how well it dealt with the country’s problems. In the eyes of the Russian people, the country’s most pressing problems were the highly unpopular war, the distribution of land, and the shortages of food and raw materials.
PROBLEM 1: THE WAR
The provisional had financial incentives to continue with the war. However, the war continued to go badly for Russia. Russian forces were no match for the Austrians. desert. As desertions increased, the government set up death squads to hunt down
and execute deserters. This only increased the unpopularity of the government among the soldiers.
PROBLEM 2: LAND
There were over 200 cases of land seizures in July alone. The Provisional Government had no real answer to the land problem. It stated that this was such an
important issue that it should be left to the properly elected government of Russia which would soon follow.
PROBLEM 3: SHORTAGES OF FOOD AND RAW MATERIALS
Shortages of fuel and raw materials led to the closure of over 500 factories in Petrograd between February and July, with the loss of 100,000 jobs.
Return of Lenin (Leader of the Bolshevik Party)
He condemned the Provisional Government and called for its overthrow in a genuine revolution. The following day he issued his April Theses, in which he spelt out future Bolshevik policy.
What was the April thesis?
- War must be ended immediately.
- Land must be given to peasants.
- The soviets should take power on behalf of the workers.
The essence
The essence of Lenin’s argument was summed up in two provocative Bolshevik slogans that he coined: ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ and ‘All Power to the Soviets’.
‘Peace’ – The continuing war with Germany
‘Bread’ – The chronic food shortage
‘Land’ – The peasants’ desire to own land
July Days
Sparked by the failure of the summer’s war offensive, workers’ anger at their continued economic plight, and the Petrograd garrison’s fear that their troops were to be sent to the Front. However, the uprising lacked coherent leadership.
New prime minister - Kerensky
A new Prime Minister was elected 2 days later, Kerensky. He immediately turned the heat on the
Bolsheviks, whom he saw as the instigators of the troubles. Their newspaper, Pravda, was closed
down. Many leading Bolsheviks, including Trotsky and Kamenev, were arrested. Lenin fled to Finland. Kerensky also launched a propaganda campaign in which Lenin and the Bolsheviks were branded as traitors and German agents. The Bolshevik party now appeared broken as a political force in Russia.
