Conditions of Russia 1905- 1917

Question 1

How big was the Russian empire?

Answer 1

Occupied 1/6 of the world’s land surface and was seen as a great power

Question 2

What was Russia’s population at the beginning of the 20th century?

Answer 2

126 million people

Question 3

What was the population known for and what was the governments response to this?

Answer 3

Diversity- each national group had it’s own language, religion, culture and traditions
Governments original response = Russification (Russian official language)

Question 4

How many languages were spoken and what were the main religions?

Answer 4

19 languages. Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Protestants.

Question 5

When were political parties legally permitted?

Answer 5

1906

Question 6

What was introduced following the 1905 Revolution?

To what extent did politics actually reform after 1905?

Answer 6

Forced to bring limited reform (October Manifesto = created Duma).

1905 revolution didn’t bring radical changes many had hoped for.

Question 7

What was the problem with the Duma?
Why were the first 2 Dumas dissolved?
What was wrong with the 3rd and 4th Duma?

Answer 7

It’s limited powers didn’t fulfil the demands of the liberals as the elected lower house didn’t have ultimate law making power + Tsar made all decisions.

First and Second Duma dissolved for being too radical.

Voting massively skewed towards elite in third and fourth Dumas which were far more passive.

Question 8

What did Stolypin attempt to do and how?

Answer 8

Restore order…

…through a policy of cautious reforms and brutal repression

Question 9

How many people did Stolypin find guilty of political crimes between 1906 and 1910?

Answer 9

1906-1910 Stolypin’s courts found 37,620 people guilty of political crimes

Question 10

How much did Russia’s prison population rise to as a result of Stolypin?

Answer 10

98,000 in 1905.

Over 250,000 by 1913.

Question 11

What did Stolypin’s name become associated with? + Examples?

Answer 11

These brutal methods
Train that carried people into exile = Stolypin wagons
Hangman’s noose + Stolypin’s necktie

Question 12

How did Stolypin’s land reforms benefit the economy?

Answer 12

Record harvest in 1913 - could have been due to good weather conditions.

Question 13

What did the agents fail to do to stop opposition?

Answer 13

Stamp out revolutionary newspapers
1912- Bolsheviks founded Prava and Mensheviks founded Luch
Police kept them under surveillance and attempted to close Prava 8 times 1912-14 but it always re-emerged

Question 14

In what ways was Russia ‘economically backwards’ in 1905 in terms of industry and inequality?

Answer 14

There was very little industry

Many lived in extreme poverty but many were very rich

Question 15

Why was Russian countryside difficult to govern In 1905?

Answer 15

It was so vast and local landowners often made their own laws which local peasants were expected to obey

Question 16

How did the Russian government function 1905?
Why was it hard to criticise the government?
What was censored?

Answer 16

Tsar ruled as an autocrat(complete power).

No parliament to express people’s views - illegal to criticise government.

Newspapers were censored, Okrana (tsars secret police) in every village and had biggest peace time army in the world (2.6 million)

Question 17

Where did most of Russia’s wealth come from and what was the problem with this?

Answer 17

From farming but out of date methods (very little mechanized) and terrible winters often ruined the harvest and transport was also poor meaning there was frequent famines

Question 18

What were the effects of the 1906-1914 industrial boom?

Answer 18

Railways and factories were built, businesses ere established so many people began to drift from land to towns where they worked long hours for low wages and lived in terrible conditions.

Coal, iron, oil increased

Question 19

Although there was a boom in 1906-1914, what were the conditions like for workers?

Answer 19

Average wages didn’t rise much above 1903 level.

Conditions at home and work were dreadful

Question 20

What were Kulaks encouraged to do under Stolypin’s reforms?

Answer 20

Buy poorer, less efficient peasants land

Question 21

What were the social impacts on the poorer peasants from the reforms?

Answer 21

Growing class of alienated poor peasants - many fled to city

Question 22

What was the social structure of 1905 Russia like?

Answer 22

80% of people were peasants working land
10% of people were workers in towns and cities
8%made up the middle class (doctors, lawyers etc.)
1% =The Tsar and nobility -owned almost all land and controlled almost all wealth and political power In Russia

Question 23

What key international event happened in 1905 and what was the outcome?

Answer 23

Nicholas II faced a revolution - The Russian army and navy were heavily defeated by Japan - wide spread unrest in St Petersburg leading to general strike in October

Question 24

What happened to reform following Stolypin’s murder in 1914?

Answer 24

Nicholas gave up at any real attempts at reform

Question 25

Which areas of Russia’s economy developed rapidly between 1911-1914?

Answer 25

Exports and imports doubled, agricultural production increased and government debt fell

Question 26

What was bloody Sunday
How many were killed?
What is it now considered to be the start of?

Answer 26

22nd Jan 1905- unarmed demonstrators were fired on by soldiers of the imperial guard as they marched to winter palace to present a petition to the Tsar (estimated 1000 killed or injured)
Now considered to be the start of the active phase of the 1905 revolution

Question 27

Who was used to oppress resistance?

Answer 27

Much feared Cossacks

Question 28

Why was the Tsar reluctant to modernise?

Answer 28

Difficult to maintain tsarist autocracy in modernised Russia
Industrialisation would lead to social tensions as people moved from land to cities
Need for more educated workforce= more able to challenge government
Growth of middle class = create pressure for social change

Question 29

Were the Romanov’s popular in 1913?

Answer 29

The Tsar and his family drove through the streets in open carriages for the first time since the troubles in
1905. Crowds flocked to cheer, wave banners etc
They enjoyed a triumphant entrance to Moscow, Nicholas led the way on a white horse with confetti throwing crowds waving the Romanov flag