Chapter 1- Russia Flashcards
who was the leader of Russia in 1917
Tsar Nicholas II
when did he inherit the throne?
1894 at the age of 26
what event happened in Nicholas II’s childhood- what was the result of this?
His reformist Grandfather was blown up by a revolutionary bomb when he was 12, leading his father to become a reactionary ruler
He became determined to uphold traditional tsarist roles.
who was the Tsar’s tutor and how did he influence Nicholas?
Konstantin Pobedonostev, insured the Tsar believed in the autocracy
what was Nicholas’ personality
shy and awkward, found politics boring, was overly cautious and stubborn which meant he saw advice as criticism
what did Nicholas’ personality mean for politics
He dismissed a zemstvo petition for an elected national assembly as a, ‘senseless dream,’ and continually tried to undermine the Duma’s influence from 1906.
how did Nicholas act towards his ministers?
he felt he needed to keep them weak so pitted them against each other. He hated confrontation so dismissed them through notes.
what type of ruler did Nicholas consider himself?
He thought he ruled in the tradition of the earlier Muscovite rulers with a strong bond between himself and the masses.
how did Nicholas mean Russia had problems
he was reluctant to innovate, and combined with Russia’s financial problems and the overlapping institutions of tsarist government this meant political authority was weak.
who was Nicholas’ wife and how did she influence him?
Alexandra, she was strong willed and her advice was often misguided.
who did Alexandra endorse?
Rasputin, to help cure Prince Aleksei of his haemophilia
how did Rasputin prove problematic?
he started interfering in government appointments, and his terrible reputation then made Nicholas look bad to civil servants, politicians, bishops and officers.
what was occurring in 1913
The Romanov tercentenary, but also violent strikes.
how did Nicholas and Alexandra react to the strikes
Nicholas and Alexandra were naïve, thinking the country loved them
‘their hearts are ours,’- Alexandra
‘what cowards those state ministers are,’
detail on Romanov tercentenary
Kazan Cathedral- pair of doves flew over Nicholas and Alexei- seen as sign
crowds gathered to cheer the family’s tour of, ‘old Muscovy.’
why did Russia join WW1?
Pan Slavism was strong and Russia needed to help Serbia
How was the war initially received?
popular- wave of anti- German feeling in Russia.
The State Duma dissolved itself, voting for War credits to not burden the country with politics and St Petersburg became Petrograd to dissociate from Germanic name
why did morale for the war decrease?
Battle of Tannenberg in East Prussia in August 1914. 300,000 dead or wounded.
Further defeat at the Masurian Lakes in September forced retreat.
reports of military incompetence and crush of hope that the war would end soon.
What was Russia’s army made from
12 million men, mostly conscript peasants.
issues with caring for the Russian army
soldiers lacked weaponry, clothing, waterproof footwear.
only two rifles for three soldiers, two to three shells per day in 1915. Soldiers had to rely on fallen weapons
1916 war events
Brusilov offensive- trying to push through Ukraine, loss officers, heavy casualties and terrible economics and politics in Russia led to 1.5 million desertions and a loss in morale.
how was the war effort organised within Russia?
- July 1914, military zones set up where all civillian authority was suspended
- the Zemstva set up a union to provide medical facilities which the state neglected
- factory owners and businessmen set up a congress of Industry and Business to help coordinate production.
how were military zones reacted to?
Opposed by Zemstva who regarded the government as insensitive to the people and believed that civilians were key part of the war effort.
What else was set up during the war? When?
Zemgor- set up by zemstva and municipal dumas in June 1915. This was chaired by Prince Lvov, it wanted to help the Tsar’s government in the war effort.
