Foundation test Flashcards
What percentage of the Russian population lived in towns or cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants in 1855?
1.6
Five out of six Russians in 1855 were what sort of peasant?
Serf
Well over —- different languages were spoken within the Russian Empire
100
What happened to the population in terms of size between 1815 and 1914?
It quadrupled
The Russian Empire in 1855 was smaller than Russia today
False
To the west of which mountain range contains the area with the most fertile land and population density as well as the most important cities of Moscow and St Petersburg
The urals
Give two examples of significant issues regarding Russia’s climate
Extremes of temperature
Very dry in places
How long does it take today to go by place from Moscow in the west of Russia to the Port of Vladivostok on the east coast
8 hours
Russia’s industrial economy lagged behind those of Western Europe and America in the 19th century
True
The landed gentry had maximised the use of new 19th century farming techniques and Russian agriculture was some of the most advanced in the world
False
What is an autocracy
Rule by one person
What was the name of the last Russian Royal dynasty
Romanov
Which Tsar took Russia into the disastrous Crimean war in 1853?
Nicholas I
Which Tsar signed a humiliating peace treaty to end the ward in 1856
Alexander ii
Defeat in the Crimean war revealed an urgent need for —— in all aspects of economy, society and politics
Modernisation
Why was Alexander ii known as the great tsar liberator
The liberation of the serfs
Does he fully deserve this title
No
Why/why not
He was ultimately committed to autocracy and was engaging in limited liberal reform to avoid potential unrest and protect the Romanov dynasty
Who became tsar in 1881
Alexander iii
The son of Alexander ii was keen to enact more liberal reforms in order to appease the sort of organisation that had assassinated his father
False
How old was tsar Nicholas ii when he came to the throne
26
Nicholas was often more influenced by his dedication to the Russian —— church than the sensible advice of experts
Orthodox
Nicholas took Russia into another humiliating conflict in an attempt to boost russias influence in the pacific region.
This is known as the Russo—— war
Japanese
The impact of the above war saw a drop in living standards and damaged the reputation of tsar Nicholas further causing what is known as the ‘1905 revolution’
Why is it a good idea to put this in commas
It was not one singular organised uprising, rather, disorganised unrest by various groups across Russia
Ie. A wave of mass political social unrest
Give two examples of unrest in 1905
Bloody Sunday + reaction to Bloody Sunday
Peasant unrest
What was Nicholas forced to promise in order to quell opposition in 1905
Issue the October manifesto promising a constitutional monarchy ie a duma (parliament)
This was the promise of legislation, no the actual legislation
Did he fully honour this promise when he presented the finalised changes to the political system in the form of the fundamental laws of 1906
No
Which war started in 1914
Ww1
What prompted Alexandria and Nicholas to fall under the spell of Rasputin
He seemed to be able to rest their sons haemophilia (blood disorder)
Why is it most likely that it was people that wanted the survival of the Romanov dynasty that killed Rasputin
He was seriously damaging the reputation of the tsar and tsarina, but they refused to listen to those around them
Which bad decision made by Nicholas in 1915 tied his reputation and prestige to the course of ww1
He took full control of the armed forces and went to the front (leaving tsarina in the capitol with Rasputin)
What did tsar Nicholas have to do in February 1917
Abdicate
Why was the provisional government called the provisional government
As they were never meant to be permanent
They were supposed to be running Russia until proper democratic elections for a constitution assembly could be held
What sort of government briefly seemed possible
Democracy / liberal democracy
Which other organisation competed with the provisional government as part of a bizarre dual power arrangement
The Petrograd soviet
As further setbacks in ww1 put even more pressure on the provisional government to maintain control, why did kerensky let lots of bolsheviks out of prison and give them weapons
Because he thought a military coup was about to happen and needed to organise the defence of Petrograd (st Petersburg) against a section of the Russian army (the kornilov affair)
Fill in the gaps for two of Lenin’s most significant slogans
Bread, peace and land
All power to the soviets
Which of these phrases best describes the October revolution
A coup by a group of middle-class intellectuals on behalf of the urban proletariat
Which conflict emerged after the October revolution
The civil war
How many different armies were involved
4+
Which Bolshevik leader was in charge of the victorious red army
Trotsky
Which of the following statements about the casualties in the civil war is most accurate
There were an estimated 7m-12m casualties during the war, mostly civilians
After a series of strokes, which year did Lenin die
1924
It was clear who the successor to Lennon should be
False
Name two specific groups to be targeted during stalins purges in the 1930s
Sections of his own party
Political opponents, real and imagined
Certain national minorities
Did WW2 ultimately strengthen or weaken stalins cult status
Strengthened
What year did Stalin die
1953
Khrushchev presided over the escalation of which war
Cold war
Which year was he forced from power
1964
Which vegetable/cereal became khrushchev’s obsession
Corn/sweetcorn/maize
