February revolution Flashcards
What percentage of people in Russia were peasants in 1900?
82%
What percentage of people were urbanites in 1900?
2.5%
What and when was the Russo-Japanese war?
1905- Russia wanted to expand in the East, Japan wanted a mainland port. The Tsar saw the Japanese as an inferior nation and he believed that Russia would crush them. Japan crushed Russia.
What and when was Bloody Sunday?
1905- somewhere between 100 and 5,000 unarmed protestors led by a Priest were killed by the Tsar’s army. During the Russo-Japanese war. Example of Russia’s blood-soaked past
When was the October Manifesto and why was it significant?
1905- Tsar Nicholas II agreed to this after the whole Bloody Sunday thing caused issues. Some of its policies included the Duma having to approve laws before they are passed, basic freedoms, and giving suffrage to all groups in electing the state Duma
What and when were the Fundamental Laws?
1906- They kind of went back on the October manifesto by making it possible for the Tsar to pass laws without consulting the Duma if they were not in session. It also introduced an Upper Chamber almost solely chosen by the Tsar, gave the Tsar the power to dissolve the Duma at any time, and made the Duma only able to meet once per calendar year.
How many workers were on strike by 1917?
145,000
How did wages change over the course of WW1?
They doubled from 1914-17, but the price of food and fuel quadrupled in this time soooooo
What were bread rations during WW1?
It fell from 2.7Ibs in 1916 to 1.8Ibs daily in 1917
Where did food supplies sink under their own weight?
Archangel Railway Station
How many soldiers died at the Battle of Tannenberg and when?
1914- 300,000 casualties
How much money did Russia spend on WW1 altogether?
1.5 billion roubles between 1914 and 1917
How many wagons of grain made it to Petrograd in 1917 and how many were meant to?
Only 300 out of 1000 actually made it
What crucial mistake did the Tsar make in 1915?
He decided to take control of the army in 1915, which linked him to their defeat
Who killed Rasputin and when?
Prince Yusupov in 1916
How much of the population was mobilised in the war?
8.8% of the population
What was requisitioned throughout the war?
Agricultural horses
What were the geographical reasons why Tsarism collapsed in 1917?
Britain could fit into Russia about 100x, which is a lot of people to rule over (80% of them were peasants too)
Such a large empire made it difficult to squash rebellions
A lot of the national minorities hadn’t been treated with respect, so they were quite keen to overthrow the Tsar anyways
What were the economic reasons for the collapse of Tsarism in 1917?
Russia was centuries behind the rest of the world in terms of modernisation
The economy was failing after the war+ lack of middle class meant lack of innovation
They couldn’t even have one gun per man, so how are they meant to survive in a war
How many protestors were shot on the Tsar’s request on the 23rd Feb 1917 and what effect did this have?
50 people. It didn’t have much effect because they couldn’t shoot everyone. It just showed that the Tsar was not a great leader and didn’t know what he was doing
Which group of (supposedly loyal) soldiers refused to follow instructions during the Feb Rev?
The Cossacks
How did the Kronstadt mutiny begin during the Feb Rev?
One of the sailors shot their superior
When did the Tsar officially abdicate and when was he put under house arrest?
Abdicated 2nd March, placed under house arrest 3rd March 1917
When did the Tsar try to dissolve the Duma and how did this go?
26TH Feb 1917- they simply refused. This was technically the point in which he lost control
