Depth 1: The Rule of Nicholas II 1894-1905 Flashcards
What year were the great reforms?
1861
What did the great reforms do?
Abolish serfdom
Why did the serfs not like the great reforms?
They had to pay for land that they felt was theirs
How many years would it take the serfs to pay off their debts?
49 years - Redemption payments
What was happening to the Russian economy at the end of the 19th century?
Developing rapidly
What class was newly formed in the late 19th century?
The urban working class (in cities)
What percentage of the population were urban working class in the early 19th century?
2% (3 million)
What was the Russian population in 1861?
74 million
What was the Russian population in 1914?
164 million
What did farmers want more of?
More land (more mouths to feed and no money or food)
What is nationalism?
Nations making up Russia wanted independence and to govern themselves, some even considered they should be able to rule other countries.
What countries were nationalist?
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
How many serfs were freed by the Great Reforms?
40 million
What was established in 1864?
Local governments- Zemstva
When was Alexander II assasinated?
1881
What was Russia doing in the early 19th century in order to remain a great world power?
Industrialisation
What percentage of the population was made up of peasants?
more than 80%
When did Tsar Nicholas II come to the throne?
1894
Why did Alexander III death have an effect on Nicholas II?
He died suddenly, Nicholas wasn’t ready to rule
How old was Nicholas II when he came to the throne?
26 years old
What were the four main hubs of industrialisation in Russia?
Baku on the Caspian sea (oil), Eastern Ukraine (coal, iron steel), Moscow (textiles) and St Petersburg (textiles and engineering
How much did Moscow and St Petersburg population increase in the 1890’s?
25%
Where was there unrest in Russia in the early 1900’s?
The Black Earth Region
Why was the government responsible for the unrest in the black Earth region in the early 1900’s?
They tried to make peasantry pay for industrialisation, high taxes on alcohol, sugar, heating oil and matches.
What happened in the Black Earth region of Russia in the early 1900’s?
Landowners estates attacked, looted and burned
What was Russia’s penal code?
Harsh- trade unions and strikes illegal
What years were there strikes in St Petersburg and by who?
1896 and 1897 by textile workers.
Who had assassinated Tsar Alexander II in 1881?
People’s will terror organisation
What 3 political groups were established in the late 1890’s?
The Bund (Jewish socialist party in Poland 1897), Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (1898) and Social Revolutionary Party (1902)
What year were the Bund formed?
1897
What year were the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party established?
1898
What year were the Social Revolutionary Party established?
1902
What terror organisation operated in 1902?
The Combat Organisation (linked to SR)
What was the Combat Organisation’s 1902 campaign?
Assassination campaign targeting governmental officials
Who were some victims of the Combat organisation’s campaign?
Dimitry Sipyagin, 1902 and Vyacheslav von Plehve, 904 (both Ministers of the Interior)
