Condition of Russia before the Feb revolution 1917

Question 1

What was imperial Russia like?

Answer 1

• 8million Square miles
• pop of 100million
• worlds largest army (1.5mil)
• vast mineral reserves
• different nationalities

Question 2

Problems in imperial Russia:

Answer 2

• not industrialised
• lack of effective communication
• different ethnicities
• Tsar spent 45% money on army
• massive rich/poor divide

Question 3

How did communication/transport work?

Answer 3

• Was hard to travel due to mud filled roads
• Wooden platforms covered city ground
• longer journeys by river (on passenger steamers)
• Railway expansion began 1904 ( Trans Siberian)

Question 4

How did the government run?

Answer 4

• Autocratic society
• Tsar thought he was entitled to the divine right to rule
• no parliament/parties
• Council of ministers ( chosen by tsar)
• censorship
• Okhrana (secret police)
• 1000’s of civil servants

Question 5

What was the agriculture and economy?

Answer 5

• 90% peasants
• inefficient farming
• lack of technology in the 1800’s
• Average life expectancy of a farmer is 40
• Improving economy

Question 6

Nationalities within Russia…

Answer 6

• Russian
• BeloRussians
• Ukranians
• Muslims

Question 7

What were the fundamental laws?

Answer 7

• April 1906
• the right to rule independently of the duma
• the right to dissolve the duma

Question 8

Bloody Sunday 1905

Answer 8

• defeat against Japan was the catalyst ( undermined tsarist authority)
• Peaceful protest of workers about conditions
• protestors attacked by cossacks
• led to strikes and riots
• Soviets set up by workers and soldiers

Question 9

The aftermath of bloody sunday…

Answer 9

• October Manisfesto set up
• Taxes lowered for the poor
• Okhrana tracked down revolutionaries and arrested them

Question 10

What was the October manifesto?

Answer 10

A promise to set up the Duma - this would cause the middle class to support him

Question 11

Who were the duma ?

Answer 11

An elected assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term comes from a Russian verb meaning ‘to think’ or ‘to consider’

Question 12

What opposition groups were there?

Answer 12

• Liberals
• The social Revolutionaries (SR)
• The social Democrats (SD)

Question 13

Political Problems

Answer 13

• Russia was an autocracy with an ill fitted ruler
• Nicholas minimised influence of the duma and kept ministers weak to preserve authority
• Disorganised because of overlapping institutions of gov
• Rasputins interference

Question 14

Military Problems

Answer 14

• National solidarity dampened after defeat at tannenburg (300 000 dead or wounded)
• no suitable weaponry- no warm clothes/waterproof footwear, 2 guns for every 3 soldiers, soldiers had to rely on artillery of fallen soldiers
• Military zones - all civilian authority suspended
• Tsar took the role of Commander in Chief

Question 15

Social and Economic problems

Answer 15

• Increase in taxes
• Damage to industrial and grains exports
• mass inflation (money worthless by 1917)
• Naval blockades of Baltic and Black sea
• Inadequacy of transport and distribution systems
• Jan 1917 30 000 workers on strike in Moscow 145 000 in Petrograd

Question 16

Tsarist Authority 1914

Answer 16

• Retained Substantial Power after 1905 Rev
• Relied on narrow circle of advisors
• N had ultimate responsibility for foreign defence policy

Question 17

How did the Tsar appeal to Patriotism?

Answer 17

• Appeared on the balcony of winter palace - citizens fell to their knees and sang god bless the tsar
• Duma have a vote of confidence - 22 socialists refused to support him

Question 18

Why did inflation occur?

Answer 18

• the war cost increased from 4mil to 30 mil
• increased tax
• Gold standard abandoned (allowed more bank notes to be put in circulation) - enabled wages to be paid and trade to continue
• this made money worthless
• 1914-1916 earnings doubled and price of food and fuel quadrupled

Question 19

What happened to food supplies?

Answer 19

• It became impossible to sustain agricultural output
• trade became unprofitable because of trade
• the requisitioning of farm horses and fertilisers occurred
• Army had first claim on the limited amount of food
• Mass hunger/border of famine

Question 20

What happened to transport?

Answer 20

• pressure to transport troops and supplies to war fronts
• signalling system broke down
• blocked lines and trains (lack of coal)
• food rotting in trucks that couldn’t move
• Moscow went from 2200 wagons of grain per month to below 700 by jan 1917
• Petro 300 in feb 1917 instead of 1000