Chapter 1 - Russian autocracy Flashcards
What was the empire predominantly held together by
the power of the Tsar and the Russian Orthodox Church which demanded obedience
By 1855, how vast was the Russian empire
covered around 21 million square kilometres
how was the tsar supported by the church
Tsar was regarded as the embodiment of God on earth
Russians were taught to show devotion to their Tsar
The church and state were closely entwined
What type of state had Russia developed into and what did this mean
A police state
Freedom of speech, freedom of the press and travel abroad were prevented
who was the secret state security network run by and what did they do
‘The Third section’
Its agents has unlimited powers to carry out raids, arrests and ensure imprisonment or exile of anyone suspected of anti-tsarist behaviour
what percentage of the population were peasant-serfs
over 50%
what were the two types of serfs
state-serfs = paid taxes and rent
privately owned serfs - which just over half the amount of serfs were classed as
what was spreading into Russia by the 19th century
liberal ideas from the west
many Russian intellectuals were starting to argue for a civil society based on law
which tsar wanted to prevent liberal ideas and what else did he want
Tsar Nicholas I - who followed a path of repression
he wanted to maintain autocracy and distance Russia from the west
what brought the need for change to the new tsars attention
defeat in the crimean war - it exposed Russias backwardness
what was the Russian army made up of
1.5 million conscripted serfs who were forced into service for 25 years
how much of the governments annual expenditure did the army absorb
around 45%
how were states such as Britain, Belgium and France different to Russia by 1855
they were industrially advanced, while the Russian economy remained predominantly rural
what was Russias economic backwardness partly due to
inhospitable territory and climate in much of Russia limited progress
what was the main reason for Russias backwardness
the serf based economy which limited the forced that drive change - markets, wage earners and entrepreneurs
socially, how was Russia divided
between the privileged land owning elite and the serf majority
how did Russia mostly remain essentially ‘feudal’
there wasn’t really a ‘middle class’ like most other places in Europe and there were only a small number of professions, the educated were mostly the sons of nobles
what did some of the few people involved in professions make up
an ‘intelligentsia’
when did Alexander II become Tsar
March 1855
what was the final humiliation for Russia after the Crimean War
the treaty of Paris which prevented Russian warships from using the Black Sea in peacetime
how did the crimean war reveal Russias inadequacies
it revealed their:
outdated technology
poor transport
inadequate leadership
the problems of having a conscripted army
consequences of the crimean war
trade was disrupted
peasant uprisings escalted
much of the intelligentsia were appealing for action to close the gap between Russia and the west
mainly - it was a ‘wake up call’ for Russia
what caused the crimean war and why did it go so badly for Russia
Nicholas I was attempting to increase Russian influence into the Ottoman Empire - this caused Turks to declare war.
The British and French wanted to defend their trading partners so entered the war.
Russians proved no match for the West and suffered many defeats.
why was their a lack of entrepreneurs
landowning elite could obtain what they needed by using the serfs that they owned s although they were often in debt, money was of little use to them therefore they didn’t need to seek alternative ways of earning money
this also means they produced nothing for the Russian economy
why was there a lack of markets
a few existed, but very few goods were purchased, instead they were mostly exchanged
why was there a lack of wage earners
serfs were poor, and most of them just about managed to survive on produce they grew and therefore starvation was common in the winter and there was little opportunity for them to become ‘wage-earners’
