Chapter 3 Flashcards
what were the results of industrialisation that caused mounting social pressure on autocracy?
Peasants pouring into to cities created volatility and changing city population
workers concentrated in complexes could organise strike action
educated workforce could read political/ revolutionary literature
growth of the middle classes created pressure for political change
what does Leo Tolstoy claim in his open letter to the Tsar in 1902
“one third of Russia is under a regime of reinforced surveillance”
who was Sergei Zubatov
leader of the third section, in 1901 he set up the first Trade Unions, as he believed that workers needed to believe they could improve their lot in the current regime to prevent revolt
why was Zubatov dismissed
in 1903, Zubatov trade unions in Odessa went on strike which snowballed into a general strike
what was the Union of Liberation and when was it formed?
A group of liberals, who opposed Tsarism and wanted a constitutional monarchy, formed in 1903 in St Petersburg
what 2 parties did the liberals split into in 1905?
the Kadets
Octobrists
who made up the liberal opposition groups 1895-1905?
Zemstva members who had gained political experience wanted national representation and were supported by the Third element
who was the minister of the Interior who was assassinated by SRs in 1904?
Plehve
what groups formed the Socialist Revolutionary party in 1902?
the populists- People’s will and Black Repartition
how many government officials did the SRs kill between 1901 and 1905
2000
who founded the Social Democratic party in 1898?
George Plekhanov “the father of Russian Marxism”
when did the Social Democrats (SDs) split intro the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks?
Second Party Congress 1903
what was “Iskra”?
Iskra (spark) newspaper published by the SDs in 1900, to unite revolutionaries around the idea of Marxism
what were the main differences between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks?
- the Bolsheviks believed in a small vanguard of committed, professional revolutionaries, whereas M. believed in a popular revolution involving the peasantry
- the Bolsheviks believed in highly centralised rigid control, whereas M. took a more democratic approach giving members a say in how the party operated
- Bolsheviks rejected the idea of a bourgeois revolution as they felt the middle class in Russia was too small, whereas Mensheviks believed in the bourgeois revolution, that there would have to be a capitalist stage before socialist revolution.
when was the Russo Japanese war?
1904-5
which treaty ended the Russo-Japanese war
the Treaty of Portsmouth
what was the warm water port that Russia wanted to gain from the Russo-Japanese war?
Port Arthur
what was the impact of the Russo-Japanese war
acted as a catalyst for the 1905 revolution, legitimised claims that the regime was incompetent and led to increased influence of liberal opposition groups e.g National Zemstva congress 1904
when was the National Zemstvo Congress?
November 1904
what were the economic impacts of the Russo-Japanese war?
- Trade with the East along the Trans-Siberian railway was disrupted by military priorities
- shortages of raw materials
- factories closing particularly in St P.
what methods did the SRs use to achieve their political aims?
domestic terrorism- they killed minister of the interior Plehve in 1904
what was the SRs final objective?
a popular uprising from the peasantry, resulting in rural socialism, but a capitalist phase was needed in urban areas.
who was the leader of the SRs?
Victor Chernov
what were Father Gapon’s demands that he wanted to take to the Tsar on Bloody Sunday?
- 8 hour working day
- minimum wage of one rouble a day
- better treatment of workers
- right to form Trade Unions
- elected parliament
how many men women and children congregated for the march to the Winter Palace on Bloody Sunday?
150,000
what were the impacts of Bloody Sunday?
- broke the bond between the Tsar and his people, they would never trust him again.
- changed the nature of the demands from the Tsar from economic to political
how many government officials were killed during the 1905 revolution?
3600
what demands were made by Poland and Finland in 1905?
outright independence
how many soldiers were dispatched to Poland during the 1905 revolution?
300,000- virtual civil war
when was the St Petersburg soviet formed?
October 1905
what were the Black Hundreds?
Right-wing paramilitary gangs that attacked left wing/ anti-tsarist groups
what did the October manifesto conceded to the workers?
- civil liberties- the right to free speech, freedom of association and the end of unwarranted arrests
- an elected Duma
what suggests the Tsar supported anti-Semitic attacks by the Black Hundreds?
- in a letter to his mother he claimed “nine tenths of the trouble makers are jews”
- the ministry of the interior diverted money to monarchist groups such as the Union of Russian People, who supported the Black Hundreds
how did the regime react to the 1905 revolution?
- October manifesto
- followed by brutal clampdown on radical groups- the St P. soviet was targeted and members executed and arrested
- Peasant uprisings continued especially due to poor harvests in 1905, the government cut redemption payments in half 1906 and promised to abolish them in 1907, those that still resisted were executed, 15,000 people executed (Stolypin neckties) and 45,000 deported
how many people were executed following the 1905 revolution?
15,000
how many people were deported following the 1905 revolution?
45,000
when did the Tsar issue the fundamental laws?
April 1906
why did many groups feel left out, of the October manifesto?
- national minorities- wanted independence/ self government
- workers- wanted freedom and dignity- felt let down by the liberals who stopped supporting them after OM
- Radicals- got the support of workers, but wanted an end to Tsardom
what powers did the fundamental laws give to the Tsar?
- all laws would have to be approved by the Tsar
- in “exceptional circumstances” the Tsar could pass laws without consulting the Dumas
what actions by the Tsar limited the Duma’s power?
- Fundamental laws
- 2nd chamber (the State Council) had equal power to the Duma and half of it was chosen by the Tsar
- heavily biased electoral system favouring the upper classes
what political orientation were the Trudoviks?
left wing- rep the workers
what was the Vyborg manifesto?
written in Vyborg, Finland, after the first duma was dissolved by Kadets urging Russians not to pay their taxes
what did the Kadets demand in the 1st Duma that caused the Tsar to dissolve it after 2 months?
- Universal suffrage
- secret voting
- guarantees of free speech and assembly
how long did the Second Duma last and why?
February 1907- May 1907
a lot more radical representation as the SDs did not boycott the second Duma as they had the first, as well as leftist groups- over 200 left wing deputies
was the Third Duma critical of the government?
Yes, in spite of less leftist and radical representation, government ministers were still held to account, many of Stolypin’s reforms ground to a halt
what did the Third Duma achieve?
- Stolypin’s land reforms
- improvements to the military
- restored Justices of the Peace to replace Land Captains
- national health insurance scheme- paid sickness benefits to workers
- laid the groundwork for universal education
when was Stolypin assassinated?
1911
what impacts did WW1 have on Russia?
- collapse of transport system- factories couldn’t get raw materials and closed
- around 2 million deaths
- food shortages- food being sent to the front as a priority
why was Petrograd (formerly St P.) subject to a severe decline in living standards?
- far away from agricultural regions- food shortage
- influx of people from R. occupied areas
- striking workers, increase militancy and number in 1915-16
when did Nicholas II assume control of the army?
August 1915
how did the February 1917 revolution start?
23rd February Int. Women’s day women march through Petrograd, to the Vyborg district where the convince workers at the factories to join them (incl. Putilov works)
starts as a demand for bread- rationed feb 1917
where the radical groups involved in the Feb revolution?
No, most leaders were abroad or in exile, however some Bolshevik cells did convince workers to join the riots
what was the turning point that turned February 1917 protests into a revolution?
Nicholas ordered troops to fire on protesters in Petrograd, regiments moved onto the side of the people- officers were killed
