Chapter 7 Flashcards
Nicholas II and the challenge to autocracy
How did Nicholas II ensure that he was no more popular with ethnic minorities than his father had been?
He continued Russification and supported the ‘Black Hundreds’ organisations
How many people were killed in Nicholas II’s coronation celebrations
1400
Why was there more support than ever for a National Government?
The failure to handle the Great Famine 1891-92, over-bureaucratic incompetent Tsarist governments, and the role of the zemstva
How did the Cossacks handle the rise of student protests?
13 were killed and 1,500 were imprisoned
What nickname did the years 1902-07 earn due to the amount of arson throughout it?
The years of the red cockerel
How did peasants try to rebel against the landowning elite and their masters?
They set fire to their landlords’ barns, destroyed grain, vented their anger to the landlords, and sometimes used violence
How did Pyotr Stolypin handle the unrest?
He hanged so many peasants in response that he earned the nickname ‘Stolypin’s necktie’
What was the change in industrial strikes from 1894 to 1904?
From 17,000 in 1894 to 90,000 in 1904
How did Zubatov attempt to control illegal unions and did he succeed?
He organised his own police-sponsored trade unions but was unsuccessful as many unions became involved in General Strikes
Which trade union was established by Father Gregorii Gapon and how many members did it have?
The Assembly of St Petersburg Factory Workers, with twelve branches and 8,000 members
What did Plehve encourage in the Russo-Japanese War?
A short, swift response to a Japanese assault on the Russian far eastern naval base
Why was Russia’s involvement in the Russo-Japanese War so flawed?
They had little idea of their enemy nor the inadequacies of their own forces, leading to widespread public opposition
How many workers joined protests on the 3rd January 1905 and from where?
150,000 workers, which stemmed from the Putilov Iron Works
What was Nicholas II’s response to the petitions and protests on 9th January 1905?
He ignored the petition and ordered 12,000 troops to break up the demonstration, leading to the death of 150 people and an outbreak of rebellions
Who replaced Mirsky as Nicholas II’s Minister of Internal Affairs?
Alexander Bulygin
What did Sergei Witte warn Nicholas II of in October 1905?
He warned that the country was on the verge of a revolution that would ‘sweep away a thousand years of history’
What did Nicholas II promise in the October Manifesto?
He promised to grant civic freedoms and establish a state duma allowing a voice to all classes of the population
What events weakened the revolutionary movement in the capital, besides the October Manifesto?
The street warfare between the police and revolutionaries, in which the leaders of the St Petersburg Soviet were exiled
What did Nicholas II state in the Fundamental Laws, issued in April 1906?
He claimed the right to veto legislation, to rule by decree in an emergency, to appoint and dismiss government ministers and to dissolve the Duma as he wished
What were the main political groups that played a prominent role throughout the Dumas?
Social Democratic Workers’ Party (later Bolsheviks and Mensheviks), Socialist Revolutionaries, Trudoviks, Kadets, Octobrists, Progressives, Rightists, Nationalists and Religious groupings
Who received the most votes in the 1st Duma 1906, and how many seats did they have?
Kadets, and they had 182 seats
What was the name given to the First Duma?
The Duma of National Hopes which lasted from May-July 1906
What did the First Duma demand in its ‘address to the throne’?
Political amnesty, abolition of the State Council, transfer of ministerial responsibility to the Duma, universal and direct male suffrage, abolition of the death penalty and a reform of the civil service
Ultimately, why was the First Duma dissolved by Nicholas II in July 1906?
They passed a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the government and demanded a resignation of the Tsar’s ministers - led to the rise of Stolypin
What was the name given to the Second Duma?
Duma of National Anger from February-June 1907
Why did Stolypin’s attempts to influence the elections to the next Duma fail?
More extreme left wing groups such as the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and the SRs decided to participate, swaying the vote
How did Stolypin deal with his agrarian policies being rejected by the Duma?
He spread a rumour about a false plot to assassinate the Tsar and passed an illegal emergency act to alter the weighting of the franchise (reduced rights of peasants)
What was the name given to the Third Duma?
Duma of Lords and Lackeys from November 1907-June 1912
How many proposals did the Third Duma support?
2200 out of approximately 2500 proposals, showing it as a more submissive body
Why did even the Third Duma fail to achieve support?
It had to be suspended twice in 1911 in order for the government to implement its own emergency legislation
What was the name given to the Fourth Duma?
There wasn’t one and it ran from November 1912-1917
How did Stolypin ultimately help to restore order in the countryside?
In August 1906, he established court martials to deal with political crimes, with over 3000 people being executed from 1906 to 1909
How did the Rasputin scandal damage the reputation of Nicholas II?
Rasputin’s supposed mystical powers proved a great help during political turmoil, yet in a far calmer Russia, his dissolute private life turned many Tsarists against him
What political group did Nicholas II show sympathy for?
Union for the Russian People, possibly showing his belief in his paternalistic role as Tsar
