Assessment of The Tsarist State Before 1905 Flashcards
intro
Before the 1900s, Russia was ruled by an autocrat authority called the Tsar who ruled the country with absolute power. The Tsars maintained their authority by using the Pillars of Autocracy. The Tsar’s family, the Romanovs, had ruled the country for over 300 years. For some time, no one really minded this as people believed the Tsar had been picked by God. However, evidence suggests that by 1905, the Tsar’s power was beginning to dwindle, with his authority being challenged throughout the 19th century, including the assassination of Alexander III. This essay will discuss how the Tsar dealt with opposition before 1905 through factors like the powers of the Tsar, the Orthodox church, Russification, and the Okhrana. This essay will argue that the Tsarist state was able to deal with opposition somewhat effectively before 1905.
para 1 - KU
The first factor to be discussed is the powers of the Tsar. The Tsars believed that they had a divine right to rule Russia and that their position and power had been handed to them by God. Tsarist power couldn’t be challenged by any legal ro constitutional methods. During Nicholas II’s reign, an extreme nationalist movement that supported the Tsar was formed, called the Black Hundreds. They assassinated pro-democratic politicians and unnerved the workers in the towns.
para 1 - important A
It could be argued that the powers of the Tsar enabled him to effectively deal with opposition prior to 1905 as violent groups, such as the Black Hundreds, used drastic methods which scared people away from challenging the Tsar’s authority. Due to the fact that people were exiled if they challenged the Tsar’s power, many people had little chance of effectively opposing his power.
para 1 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that the powers of the Tsar were ineffective in dealing with opposition prior to 1905 because opposition groups still existed. Radical opposition groups would commonly carry out political assassinations - the People’s Will tried to assassinate Alexander III in 1897, demonstrating that the Tsar was in fact challenged.
para 1 - E
Overall, the Tsar was able to deal with opposition somewhat effectively prior to 1905 through his powers. They were effective because the Tsar’s harsh punishments for those who opposed him, such as exiling people to Siberia, meant that people were too scared to challenge him which kept his power intact. However, it wasn’t completely effective as opposition groups still existed, meaning people still opposed the rule of an absolute power and challenged the Tsar through rebellion. Many believed that power should be given to the people and so revolutionary ideas circulated throughout Russia. These revolutionary ideas motivated opposition groups, who carried out an estimated 2,000 assassinations before 1905. However, opposition groups were easily diminished by the powerful bodies that enforced the Tsar’s rule.
para 2 - KU
The second factor to be discussed is the Orthodox Church. The Tsar was the head of the Orthodox church and official church doctrine stated that the Tsar was appointed by God. Any challenge to the Tsar - also called the ‘Little Father’ - was said to be an insult to God. The Church was extremely influential among the mainly peasant population of Russia. It conveyed this message to them on a regular basis.
para 2 - important A
It could be argued that the Orthodox church was effective as the majority of the Russian population were illiterate and therefore relied on what the Church told them. It was their only source of education and they tended to believe the priests’ teachings.
para 2 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that the orthodox church was ineffective as often, priests weren’t respected by peasants, who felt they had been corrupted by the Tsar and were hypocritical. The word of the Church became increasingly less respected throughout the reign of Nicholas II and, arguably, as a result, the absolute rule of the Tsar became less respected too.
para 2 - E
Overall, the church was somewhat effective as both children and adults believed the word of the priests which led to them being extremely loyal to the church and therefore the Tsar. Furthermore, for providing this propaganda in his name, the Tsar gave the Church financial rewards which incentivised priests to promote pro-Tsarist propaganda. The Tsar’s messages coming from the church made it seem as though the messages were coming from God himself, making it easier to enforce the Tsar’s rule on religious people and therefore enabling his power. However, the church was ineffective as peasants lost their respect for and questioned the trustworthiness of priests after they began to demand payment and there also weren’t a lot of churches in urban areas so most people didn’t have access to churches so this message didn’t spread to them.
para 3 - KU
The third factor to be discussed is Russificaiton. Russification was the policy of enforcing Russian culture onto the large number of ethnic minorities living in the Russian Empire, mainly the Jews. The Nationalities that also suffered from this included the Baltic Germans, the Poles, the Armenians and the Ukranians. Russian was the official language and all other languages were repressed - Poles were banned from speaking or learning their language in many places. Russian Orthodoxy was promoted and Catholic monasteries were shut down.
para 3 - important A
It could be argued that Russification was effective as the Tsarist state treated subjects from minority areas as potential enemies and inferior. This enforcement of Russian culture forced the will of the Tsar on all populations.
para 3 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that russification was ineffective because Russification, as a policy, was poorly judged. It weakened the power of the Tsar instead of strengthening it - for example, the persecution of the Jews led to the alienation of 5 million Russians. The 1890s saw an influx of Jewish people joining anti-Tsarist movements and in 1897, Jews formed their own revolutionary union.
para 3 - E
Overall, Russification was somewhat effective as the different nationalities across Russia were difficult for the Tsar to manage, so enforcing Russian customs (e.g everyone speaking one language) made it much easier for the Tsar to control and run the country. However, many nationalities continued to use their own languages and cultures in secret despite the restrictions imposed by Russification, showing that the policy wasn’t entirely effective. Also, many nationalities still wanted to be independent from Russia and Russification didn’t calm this, instead it made it stronger as many didn’t want to follow Russian customs.
para 4 - KU
The final factor to be discussed is the Okhrana. The Tsar’s will was enforced by a massive police system that reported suspicious behaviour and destroyed subversive groups. The secret police had a major role in identifying and spying on enemies as well as the power to arrest potential threats as required. Agents of the Okhrana worked undercover, infiltrating groups that might present a danger to the Tsar. They acted on behalf of the Tsar and treated citizens however they wanted.
para 4 - important A
It could be argued that the Okhrana were effective in dealing with oppostion as people were too scared to challenge the Tsar’s rule due to the Okhrana’s extreme methods, including torture and murder.
para 4 - unimportant A
However, it could be argued that the Okhrana were ineffective in dealing with opposition as opposition groups were not entirely diminished despite the Okhrana’s best efforts. Due to the large size of the Russian empire, it was too difficult to police and therefore, opposition groups, such as the Social Democrats (supported by industrial workers) and Liberals (who wanted a British-style parliament) remained a threat to the rule of the Tsar.
para 4 - E
Overall, the Okhrana were somewhat effective in dealing with opposition as they ensured that the supremacy of the Tsarist state was maintained by weeding out opposition across the entirety of Russia and thwarted revolutionary/anti-Tsarist plots and also by identifying the main people and leaders of opposition groups and imprisoning them or exiling them from Russia. However, although the Okhrana was made up of tens of thousands of informants who spied on people across the entirety of Russia, they weren’t able to completely annihilate the Tsar’s opposition, and many of its members were later revealed to be double agents working against the Tsar by supplying misinformation, showing the Okhrana weren’t entirely effective.
conclusion
In conclusion, the Tsar was able to deal with opposition somewhat effectively. The powers of the Tsar were somewhat effective as the harsh punishments for his opposition scared people from rebelling, however, opposition groups still existed and revolutionary ideas circulated across Russia, showing his powers weren’t entirely effective. The Orthodox church was somewhat effective as peasants believed the word of the Church and so followed the Tsar’s rules, however, peasants questioned and lost loyalty for priests when they began asking for financial compensation from the peasant population. Russification was somewhat effective as enforcing Russia customs made it easier to control the large Russian population, although, many nationalities continued to use their own languages and cultural customs despite this policy. The Okhrana were somewhat effective as as they weeded out oppostion which maintained the states’ power, however, many members were double agents and supplied the state with misinformation, showing his power wasn’t entirely effective.
