Chapter 1.2 + 1.3 - Changes in structure of central and local government Flashcards
Chapter 1.2 - developments in central administration
chapter 1.2
Government under the tsars: 1855-1917
When was the Personal Chancellery of his Imperial Majesty abolished and what did Alexander II (A2 replace it with)?
What are the 5 key areas of government to know?
Abolished in 1861 and replaced with the Council of Ministers
1. Personal Chancellery of his Imperial Majesty
2. The Council of Ministers
3. The Committee of Ministers
4. The Imperial Council of State
5. The Senate
Who was the chair of the Council of Ministers?
The tsar
What was the role of the Council of Ministers?
To discuss legislation, which could either be given royal assent or passed on to the Committee of Ministers
When did Alexander III (A3) stop using the Council of Ministers?
After 1882
When was the Committee of Ministers established and how many ministers were there in it?
Established in 1861, made up of initially 13 ministers
What were the 4 most important roles in the Committee of Ministers?
- Minister of the Interior (domestic affairs, law and order)
- Minister for war
- Minister of finance
- Chief procurator of the Holy Snyod (religious affairs)
What role did ministers have?
A purely administrative role
When was the Committee of Ministers abolished?
1906
What did the Imperial Council on State do?
Advised the tsar of legal and financial matters
What did the Senate act as until 1905?
The Supreme Court in Russia - final court of appeal on major legal battles
*After 1905
What caused pressure for change in Russia in 1905?
The disaster of the Russo-Japanese war
What two revolutionary events happened in 1905?
- Bloody Sunday
- Naval mutiny on Potemkin
How did Nicholas II (N2) respond to the events of 1905?
He released the October Manifesto
What did the October Manifesto create?
The Duma
What was the structure of government after 1905? (Ranked from top to bottom)
- The tsar
- The Council of Ministers
- The State Council (nominated/elected upper chamber)
- The Duma (elected lower chamber)
- The Senate
What reinforced the autocracy of N2 after the October Manifesto?
The Fundamental Laws of 1906
What did the Fundamental Laws allow the tsar to bypass?
The State Council and the Duma
What did the Fundamental Laws allow N2 to do to the Duma?
Dismiss the Duma
How many Dumas were elected between 1906 and 1917?
4
When did the first Duma sit?
April to July 1906
What was one key debate in the first Duma?
Debate on the ‘Polish Question’ - question as to whether the Poles should be allowed to self-rule
Why did N2 dismiss the first Duma after only 72 days?
The Duma had a radical option on land distribution which quickly gained press coverage, leading to Nicholas claiming that their actions were illegal and thus disbanded the Duma after two months
Who was executed between the first and second Dumas?
Key Kadet and Labourist party members who had signed the Vyborg manifesto
What was Stolypin’s system of quick trials and executions known as?
‘Stolypin’s neckties’
When did the second Duma sit?
February to June 1907
What were there fewer of in the second Duma?
Fewer Kadets and Labourists
What were there more of in the second Duma?
More Social Democrats (SDs), Social Revolutionaries (SRs) and Octobrists
What did N2 and Stolypin mistrust about the second Duma?
Their work over land reform and management of the Russian army
What led to N2 claiming the Duma was subversive and then dissolving it?
A Social Democrat members was framed for attempting to arrange an army mutiny
What did the tsar do after dismissing the second Duma?
He overhauled the electoral system
When did the third Duma sit?
November 1907 to June 1912
What did the third Duma mainly consist of?
People loyal to the tsar
What was there a significant reduction of the in the third Duma?
Reduction in nationalist members from non-Russian parts of the empire