Conditions of Russia 1905- 1917 Flashcards
How big was the Russian empire?
Occupied 1/6 of the world’s land surface and was seen as a great power
What was Russia’s population at the beginning of the 20th century?
126 million people
What was the population known for and what was the governments response to this?
Diversity- each national group had it’s own language, religion, culture and traditions
Governments original response = Russification (Russian official language)
How many languages were spoken and what were the main religions?
19 languages. Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Protestants.
When were political parties legally permitted?
1906
What was introduced following the 1905 Revolution?
To what extent did politics actually reform after 1905?
Forced to bring limited reform (October Manifesto = created Duma).
1905 revolution didn’t bring radical changes many had hoped for.
What was the problem with the Duma?
Why were the first 2 Dumas dissolved?
What was wrong with the 3rd and 4th Duma?
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.
What did Stolypin attempt to do and how?
Restore order…
…through a policy of cautious reforms and brutal repression
How many people did Stolypin find guilty of political crimes between 1906 and 1910?
1906-1910 Stolypin’s courts found 37,620 people guilty of political crimes
How much did Russia’s prison population rise to as a result of Stolypin?
98,000 in 1905.
Over 250,000 by 1913.
What did Stolypin’s name become associated with? + Examples?
These brutal methods
Train that carried people into exile = Stolypin wagons
Hangman’s noose + Stolypin’s necktie
How did Stolypin’s land reforms benefit the economy?
Record harvest in 1913 - could have been due to good weather conditions.
What did the agents fail to do to stop opposition?
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
In what ways was Russia ‘economically backwards’ in 1905 in terms of industry and inequality?
There was very little industry
Many lived in extreme poverty but many were very rich
Why was Russian countryside difficult to govern In 1905?
It was so vast and local landowners often made their own laws which local peasants were expected to obey
How did the Russian government function 1905?
Why was it hard to criticise the government?
What was censored?
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)
Where did most of Russia’s wealth come from and what was the problem with this?
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
What were the effects of the 1906-1914 industrial boom?
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
Although there was a boom in 1906-1914, what were the conditions like for workers?
Average wages didn’t rise much above 1903 level.
Conditions at home and work were dreadful
What were Kulaks encouraged to do under Stolypin’s reforms?
Buy poorer, less efficient peasants land
What were the social impacts on the poorer peasants from the reforms?
Growing class of alienated poor peasants - many fled to city
What was the social structure of 1905 Russia like?
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
What key international event happened in 1905 and what was the outcome?
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
What happened to reform following Stolypin’s murder in 1914?
Nicholas gave up at any real attempts at reform
