C - Nature of Government (old) Flashcards
What was the Measure for the Protection of state stability (Alexander III)?
gave the government far reaching powers to interfere with civil liberties
What were Land Captains (Alexander III)?
officers that enforced local laws, members of the zemtsvo
What acts did Alexander III pass in regards to local government?
1890 Zemstva act: changed the way that members were elected (dominated by nobility and landowners)
1892 Municipal government act: resitrcited the electorate in the towns to owners of property over a certain value
What was the influence of Pobedonostev on Alexander III and his rule?
commitment to autocracy, orthodoxy and nationality, Russian Nationalist, supporter of total tsardom
What was Nicholas II’s character like?
helpless, incapable of exercising power, cruel. only understood the significance of isolated fact
What were the causes of 1905 Revolution?
Russo-Japanese war (humiliation and lack of food + fuel), Bloody Sunday (tsarist guards firing at peaceful workers), Peasant unrest (1891 famine and revolts)
What was the October manifestio?
as a result of the 1905 revolution, Nicholas was forced to create an elected legislative Duma
What was the difference. between the First/Second and Third/Fourth Duma and what was the distinction between the two?
First/Second were mostly democratic and somewhat anti-tsarist parties and thus frequently criticised the tsar, but after 1907 electoral law limited voting and membership to favour pro-tsarist parties
Short term significance of the Duma + October Manifesto?
huge step away from autocracy (political parties, legislative powers), pleased opposition
Long term significance of the Duma + October Manifesto?
not as democratic as claimed, limited voting
Stolypin’s reforms?
objectives were to feed the growing population and create a strong conservative peasantry, refused to work with Dumas
Why did WW1 lead to Nicholas II’s abdication?
didn’t incorporate the Duma into government and was at the front line of battle so all responsibility fell on him, tsarist economy led to 300x inflation, scandals of Tsarina and Rasputin
How did the 1917 February revolution progress?
started as a march for International Women’s day, joined by factory workers, strikes around Petrograd, military ordered to restore order , Petrograd garrison supported demonstrators, Nicholas abdicated
What were the aims of the Provisional government?
create a government of national unity (but all upper class members), very liberal in ideology, built on the eight principles which gave the people freedoms
What were some early problems of the Provisional government?
nature of gov itself: lack of legitimacy and stood on minority views
context of the new gov: lack of control outside the capital, economic decline, peasant land seizures, demands of independence
What was Dual Authority?
partnership between Petrograd Soviet and the prov. gov.
it meant that the soviet got power and the prov. gov. some legitimact
How was Lenin significant in the 1917 October revolution?
April Thesis, slogan of ‘work, bread and land’
What was the June offensive, and what did it lead to?
last attempt to attack Germany, it was a disaster and so ended in workers’ uprising and Kerenksy as prime minister
What was the Kornilov affair?
Kornilov went against Kerensky by sending troops to fight in Petrograd and get help from Soviets
What was the 1917 October revolution like?
organised and pre-planned (takeover of railways and telephone lines)
What was the early Soviet State like?
Sovnarkom - made up of oly Bolsheviks, Democratic Centralism, not a one party state yet
Who did and didn’t support the early Soviet State?
both Petrograd Trades Union Council and Female Factory Workers gave full support, resistance from other Socialist parties
What were some early decrees?
Decree on Land (confiscated land of the Orthodox church), Decree on Workers’ control, Decree on Peace
What happened at the Constituent Assembly?
first proper election -> Bolsheviks won 175/715 seats. and then Lenin declared Bourgeouis parliamentary democracy by arguing that the Congress of Soviets represented a higher stage of democracy
What was the July 1918 Constitution?
supreme power resided within the Congress of Soviets, move towards a one party state and centralised power
What are the causes of the Russian civil war?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, political opposition to the Bolsheviks and allied opposition against them
How did the Russian civil war impact the Nature of government?
structure became increasingly centralised to ensure victory, reliance on the Politburo over the Sovnarkom (gov in 1920), other parties were increasingly excluded from government, Ban on Fanctions, party as a large part of the government
Centralisation as a result of the Russian Civil war?
due to the collapse of industry, mixture of ideology and pragmatism -> although considered War Communism, it was also necessary for strategic reasons to win the civil war - accelerated)
How did the party became a large part of the government after the Russian Civil war?
Politburo took over key decision making, Communist organisations took control of Soviets across Russua, change of membership, ban of other parties
What were some issues that divided the committee after Lenin’s death?
Bureaucracy vs Rule of the Proletariat, Permanent revolution vs Socialism in one country
How dod Stalin win the power struggle?
broad power base (because he was the secretary), underestimated by opponents, ban on factions (difficult to challenge him), popular policies (rapid industrialisation + One country policy)
What was the nature of government like by 1928?
establishment of an ideological orthodoxy (committed to socialism in one country, collectivisation and industrialisation), destroyed authority of other contenders, changed the nature of party membership (Lenin enrolment), created a patronage system
Impacts of WW2 on nature of government?
the losses of 1918 were restored to Russia, projected a modern and powerful influence to the West, Stalin’s cult of personality was reaffirmed, 27 million soviet citizens dead
What did Khrushchev believe about the Communist party?
that it had a leading ideological role in constructing Socialism
What were some of Khrushchev’s early reforms?
replacing Stalin’s supporters with his own, bureaucracy campaign , De-stalinisation (to humanise communism and rejection of the cult of personality)
How did the Cold War impact on the nature of government?
questioning of its basic values (due to the strain of war), arrests and purges, called for a change in politics and the economy but also limited change to uphold an image
How did Khrushchev fall?
reforms created discontent and economy slowed, concern over his ‘rash and dangerous’ foreign policy, criticised for mishandling economy
