Chapter 2

Question 1

when did redemption payments end

Answer 1

1907

Question 2

when did Alexander III die of liver failure?

Answer 2

1894

Question 3

what were peasants who left the peasant commune called?

Answer 3

Stolypin separators

Question 4

what economic reforms did Witte introduce

Answer 4

high tariffs, guaranteed profit to foreign investors, high indirect tax, investment in heavy industry, focus on railway building, strong rouble, focus on grain export

Question 5

what caused Witte to be fired in 1903?

Answer 5

1899-1902 there was an international recession which hit Russia hard, because of reliance on foreign investors- in 1900, 20% of the budget was spent on paying loan interest.

Question 6

what were the counter-reforms introduced by Alexander III

Answer 6

Control (1881)
Education (1884)
Local government (1890)
legal system
Emergency measures (1881)

Question 7

define the term Russification

Answer 7

forced assimilation of national groups within the Russian empire, to adopt Russian customs, culture and beliefs

Question 8

which groups were targeted by Russification

Answer 8

Jews, Ukrainians, Poles

Question 9

how many Muslims were forcibly converted to Orthodoxy

Answer 9

100,000

Question 10

Name the 4 main bodies that made up the head of the Tsarist state

Answer 10

the Tsar
the council of ministers
the Imperial council of state
the committee of ministers

Question 11

when was the council of ministers abolished by Alexander III

Answer 11

1882

Question 12

who was the Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod as appointed by Alexander III?

Answer 12

Konstantin Pobedonostev

Question 13

what were the 3 main principles underpinning the Tsarist regime?

Answer 13

Orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality

Question 14

what did Alexander III say in regards to a proposed constitution?

Answer 14

“I would not grant Russia a constitution for anything on earth”

Question 15

what were the legal counter-reforms introduced by Alexander III

Answer 15

reduced open court cases, court martials used to try sensitive cases, ministry of justice could order a private trial, Justices of the Peace were abolished, crimes against the state could be heard in court without a jury

Question 16

what were the local government counter-reforms introduced by Alexander III (1890)

Answer 16

Local gov counter-reforms (1890)
1. local governments were put under the control of the ministry of the interior,
2. provincial governors could veto any decision made by zemstvo,
3. the electoral system was changed to favour land owners.

Question 17

What were the Education counter-reforms introduced by Alexander III (1884)?

Answer 17

1. the University statute (1884) reduced autonomy of Universities and student freedom,
2. staff were appointed by the ministry of education
   3.courses for women were closed,
3. church given control of primary education
4. fees were introduced in secondary schools to prevent peasant education.

Question 18

what were the control counter-reforms introduced by Alexander III (1881)?

Answer 18

the Okhrana were formed in 1881, Land Captains were introduced in rural areas to control the village communes and censorship was tightened

Question 19

what were the emergency measures introduced by Alexander III (1881)?

Answer 19

Statute of State security (1881) they could prohibit gatherings of more than 12, set up courts outside the legal system, introduce emergency police rule and close schools, Universities or newspapers

Question 20

what was the motivation for continued industrialisation under Alexander III?

Answer 20

to increase military power- upgrade and modernise Russia’s army, to compete with the West.

Question 21

how much were tariffs introduced by Witte 1892

Answer 21

30%

Question 22

what type of taxation did Witte use and why?

Answer 22

Sergei Witte introduced high indirect taxation which generated much needed tax revenue for the state funded development of heavy industry, but also forced peasants to export more of their grain to make ends meet- which built up reserves of foreign currency and strengthened the rouble

Question 23

when did Russia adopt the gold standard?

Answer 23

1897

Question 24

give an example of foreign knowledge/ expertise coming to Russia during 1892-1903

Answer 24

John Hughes- a Welshman was asked to come to Russia to modernise their steel works- he set up a massive steel production factory in the Donbass region- which would later become the centre of steel production in Russia

Question 25

when did industrial development continue after Witte was fired, and what was the main driver of this further industrialisation?

Answer 25

1908-1914
huge military investment after the embarrassing Russo-Japanese war, as well as a growth in domestic investment (3x bigger than FDI by 1910), stock market speculation in the middle classes, growing consumer goods market

Question 26

what was hindering further growth 1908-14

Answer 26

most of the growth was only in the textiles, military and agricultural sectors

Question 27

what were Stolypin’s Agrarian reforms?

Answer 27

boosted rural capitalism, as he wanted to take land away from the rebellious, drunk/ lazy peasants and give it to the “go ahead” kulaks, he allowed peasants to leave the mir, decreased the power of the mir, redistributed noble’s lands, this increased agricultural productivity

Question 28

between 1877 and 1905 how much did peasant owned land increase from and to

Answer 28

6 million hectares in 1877 to 22 million hectares in 1905

Question 29

what caused the economic boom of the 1890s?

Answer 29

railway investment meant that rural and urban markets were connected, as well as export made possible, heavy industry lead to innovation- steel ploughs, fertilisers, factory work, new crops, which all led to greater production.

Question 30

who wrote what is to be done in the 1860s and what was its message

Answer 30

Chernyshevsky

unhappiness in the world had economic causes and could only be remedied by socialism.

Question 31

what was the population of Russia in 1897?

Answer 31

128 million

Question 32

what was the population of Russia in 1914

Answer 32

180 million

Question 33

what were working and living conditions like for urban workers?

Answer 33

10% got injured or died every year, easily replaced.
disease was rife, workers often slept on or near machinery and got very little sleep
Trade Unions were banned

Question 34

what % of the workers were literate

Answer 34

unusually high literacy rate, around 60% of the workers could read by 1900, shows ambition and could read revolutionary literature

Question 35

what statistic shows the decrease in noble’s being landowners

Answer 35

in 1861 they owned 80% of the land by 1905 they owned just 40%- kulaks and peasant land bank allowed peasants to buy

Question 36

what did Turgenev write?

Answer 36

Sportsman’s sketches (1852) about the suffering of serfs and the immoral treatment of fellow humans