DS1 Russia 1905 – 1914 Flashcards
What was the Structure of the Tsarist Regime in 1905?
- The Tsar was the leader of the Russian People
- The Tsar required the support of the army and navy: Cossack regiments were used to put down any disturbances
- The Orthodox Church promoted the Tsar’s autocracy
- The Okhrana removed any opposition to the Tsar
- The press was heavily censored
- Workers lived in the towns, whilst peasants belonged to a mir
- Zemstva elected officials who looked after local services
Who was the Tsar?
- Russia was 500km wide, contained over 12 different nationalities, yet was ruled by one man – the Tsar
- Tsar Nicholas II ruled the Russian Empire from 1894 - 1917
- He was a family man, but not an effective ruler
- He ignored calls for reform and placed family members and friends in government
- He believed he was chosen by God and* had a divine right to rule*
What were the social groups of Russia?
- The nationalities: There were over a dozen different nationalities, e.g. Russians, Poles, and Jewish people. Only 40% of the 1 million citizens were Russian
- The peasants: ~80% of the population: they were mainly loyal and served in the army
- The industrial workers: < 5% of the population
- The middle classes: A new class of wealthy people emerged in C20 due to industrialisation, made up of professionals and capitalists that made up < 2% of the population
- Liberals: Mainly middle-class Russians who* wanted greater democracy*
- Radicals: Made up of the Sovialist Revolutionaries (SRs) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP): they were illegal under the Tsarist regime
- SRs: They were a faction of people who wanted to share the land - they used propaganda and terror tactics, and appealed to poorer peasants
- SDP: They were a marxist party that appealed to the workers, soldiers and sailors. In 1903, it split into the Bolsheviks who wanted a revolution, and the Mensheviks who wanted to take power legally
What problems did each of these social groups have?
- The nationalities had language and religious differences, making communication difficult; many disliked Russian rule and called for independence
- The peasants used outdated farming methods, had no education, and suffered from many famines; they demanded for more land
- The industrial workers had very poor living conditions in cities – they had cramped housing with no sanitation, and many suffered from diseases like cholera – and poor working conditions, low pay and long hours; trade unions were illegal until 1905
- Many members of the middle class wanted a parliament and a democracy
- Liberals wanted a duma, civil rights and wanted to replace autocracy with a more representative government
- SRs wanted to seize power and create a socialist system for the peasants
- The SDP wanted a socialist workers’ state
What were the long-term causes of the 1905 revolution?
Economic problems
* Rapid growth in industry during late C19 had come to an abrupt stop
* Strikes and riots caused by heavy grain taxes led to poor harvests in 1900 and 1901
* Economic depression led to wages falling, factories and mines closing, and unemployment
Social Problems
- Peasants demanded land
- Workers still faced poor living and working conditions
- Many nationalities wanted independence and an end to repression
Political Problems
* Liberals were demanding an elected Duma
* Some workers and peasants were joining radical groups that wanted revolution
What were the short-term causes of the 1905 revolution?
The Russo-Japanese War:
* Tsar Nicholas II wanted to improve morale with a victory in war
* He went to war with Japan over the control of Manchuria
* The war was a disaster for Russia, as they suffered defeat after defeat
* Russia suffered from shortages of food and raw materials, leading to unemployment in factories
* In 1905, Russia suffered a humiliating defeat as Port Arthur fell to the Japanese
* This brought about renewed protest against the Tsar and his government
Bloody Sunday:
* At the beginning of 1905, conditions were bad in St. Petersburg and tension was high
* Aiming to ease the tension, Father Gapon, a priest, organised a march to devlier a petitoin to the Tsar asking for help
* On Sunday 22 January 1905, ~200,000 protesters marched toward the Winter Palace to deliver the petition
* They were met with troops, and many were shot and killed
* The government estimated the number of casualties to be < 100, but outside sources suggest it was in the 1000s
* News of the massacre spread rapidly to other cities
* Within a week, full-scale revolution was underway
Write an account of the 1905 Revolution
22 - End of January
* Bloody Sunday
* More than 400,000 workers went on strike
* The Government had lost control
* Uprisings, strikes, demonstrations, petitions and riots became commonplace
February
* Strikes spread to other cities
* Workers demanded an 8-hour working day, higher wages and better conditions
* On 4 February, the Tsar’s uncle, Grand Duke Sergei, was assassinated in Moscow
March - May
* Shameful defeats of the Russian army and navy in the war with Japan led to demands for a change of government
May - June
* Middle-class liberals demanded a Duma, freedom of speech, and a right to form political groups
* National Groups like Poles and Finns demanded independence
* Jewish people wanted equal civil rights
June
* Sailors of the battleship Potemkin mutinied
* This worried the government, as other parts of the army / navy could mutiny as well
June - July
* In the countryside, peasant riots became widespread
* Land was seized and landowners’ houses were looted and burned
September
* The Russians and Japanese signed a peace treaty
* Thousands of troops were now free to help put down unrest in Russia
* The government paid troops backpay and promised better conditions of service in return for loyalty
October
* A general strike spread from Moscow to other cities
* All opposition groups – workers, students, teachers, doctors, liberals and revolutionaries – united in demanding changes
* Barricades were set up on streets
26 October
* St Petersburg Soviet of Workers’ Deputies (Petrograd Soviet) was formed
* Representatives from factories met to coordinate strike action
* Soviets were formed in other cities
* This was a great threat to the Tsar’s government
30 October
* The Tsar had the choice of giving in or using force (which would lead to massive bloodshed)
* He gave in and issued the October Manifesto on 30 October
* The Manifesto promised an elected Duma, civil rights, uncensored newspapers and the right to form political parties
* Liberals and middle classes believed they had won a democratic government and stopped their protests
December
* The Tsar felt strong enough to take back control from the limited remaing opposition
* He used force to shut down the St Petersburg Soviet and crush an armed uprising in Mosow
* He sent out troops to take revenge on workers and peasants who had rioted and to bring them under control
What was the October Manifesto?
- It was a document written by the Tsar
- It made promises to the people in order to end the revolution
- It promised a Duma and civil rights
Who became Prime Minister in 1906?
Pyotr (Peter) Stolypin
What were Stolypin’s Reforms?
He used the carrot and sick approach
The carrot:
* Peasant Land Banks were set up to allow richer peasants (kulaks) to buy up land, increasing their loyalty
* He also allowed kulaks to opt out of the mir and buy up their own land to create larger, more efficient farms
* However, this led to poorer peasants becoming worse off
* Some of these poorer peasants were told to sell their lands and settle on new lands along the trans-Siberian railway, being promised work would be there
* These peasants ended up losing their homes, gaining nothing, and returning more discontent and angry
* Additionally, 90% of land in the fertile west was still run by inefficient communes in 1916
The Stick:
* Strikers, protesters and revolutionaries were now elegible for the death penalty
* The okhrana and army were used to stop riots and remove opponents
* ‘Stolypin’s necktie’ was the phrase coined for hanging, as he had over 1000 traitors hanged and over 20000 exiled
* This led to the Lena Goldfields Strike and massacre in 1912 over poor conditions
What was the Duma and when did it first meet?
- The Duma was the elected council
- It was promised by the October Manifesto
- It was made up of 1 representative from every 2,000 nobles and 1 for every 90,000 workers
- The Tsar issued the Fundamental Laws in 1906, allowing him to dismiss the Duma at will
- The Duma had no power to appoint ministers, control finance or pass laws
- The first Duma met in 1906, but was too radical for the Tsar, so was dismissed after two or so weeks
What did the Dumas achieve?
The First (1906) and Second Duma (1907):
* The Dumas demanded more power for themselves
* They wanted more rights for citizens
* They wanted more land for peasants
* The Tsar did not accept these reforms, so both were dissolved within weeks
The Third Duma (1907-1912):
* Elections for the 3rd Duma favoured the gentry and urban rich more
* They were more conservative
* They were still crititcal of the government, but managed to get shit done
The Fourth Duma (1912-1914):
* They achieved little because war started in 1914
What changed in the cities?
- There was an industrial boom between 1906 and 1914 in Russia
- Industrial production increased by 100%
- Russia became the fourth largest producer of coal, pig iron, and steel
- The Baku oil fields were rivalled only by those in Texas
- By 1914, 40% of factory workers were in factories with over 1k workers: factories were made more efficient, but it also made it easier to organise strikes
- Working conditions barely improved: average wages were below 1903 levels
What happened in the industry in 1912?
- In 1912, a strike occured in Lena goldfields, Siberia
- Striking workers protested about degrading working condintions, low wages and an 14hr working day (05:00 - 19:00)
- They clashed with troops, leading to the deaths of 170 workers and 373 workers being wounded
- The Lena Goldfield Massacre led to workers’ protests en mass, having a similar effect to Bloody Sunday
Who was Grigory Rasputin?
- Grigory Rasputin was a starets (holy man) from Siberia
- It was rumoured that he belonged to a religious sect called the Kylysty: they believed religious ecstasy lay in the senses; people flogged themselves, and they sometimes engaged in sexual acts
- Rasputin organised gatherings within higher circles of society
- Many people came to him for healing or advice
