Government

Question 1

When did A2 introduce the Committee of Ministers

Answer 1

1861

Question 2

When was the zemstva introduced

Answer 2

1864

Question 3

Uses of army to repress peasant uprisings after emancipation

Answer 3

449

Question 4

What was the Bezdna unrest, who led it and how many died

Answer 4

Peasant unrest in 1861 led by Anton Petrov, believing that the peasants had misunderstood Emancipation and were totally free. Put down by the army, killing 300 peasants

Question 5

What was the name of A3’s manifesto and when was it published

Answer 5

The ‘manifesto on Unshakeable Democracy’ - April 1881

Question 6

What proposal did A3 reject

Answer 6

Loris Melikov - plan for semi constitutional government/elected assembly

Question 7

When was the Okhrana created and why

Answer 7

1881 - in response to A2’s assassination

Question 8

How can A3’s early repression be explemplified

Answer 8

a crackdown began immediately, execution of the five People’s Will assassins, a nationwide police offensive and 10,000 arrests

Question 9

How did A3 reduce the power of local govt

Answer 9

Reduced peasant representation and the power of the zemtva (such as over education)
Introduced Land Captains - local law enforcement and to supervise and control vemstvo

Question 10

What type of censorship did A3 introduce

Answer 10

Pre-publication censorship

Question 11

How did Nicholas II show he was committed to autocracy

Answer 11

1906 Fundamental Laws and reluctance to reform

Question 12

When was the State Duma created

Answer 12

1905

Question 13

What happened in the 1st (also the 2nd) Duma

Answer 13

Widespread representation across nationalities and different parties. Radical discussions took place such as demanding land reform

Question 14

What did N2 do to the 1st Duma (and 2nd)

Answer 14

Dissolved it after just 2 months
Dissolved the 2nd after 105 days

Question 15

What did N2 do in 1907

Answer 15

Introduced new regulations on Duma elections and a manifesto on the Dissolution of the Duma

Question 16

How many were killed during the events of Bloody Sunday

Answer 16

1000s

Question 17

How many protestors at Bloody Sunday

Answer 17

up to 50,000

Question 18

What did Bloody Sunday trigger

Answer 18

the 1905 revolution leading to the October manifesto

Question 19

Example of repression after the 1905 manifesto

Answer 19

Lena Goldfields massacre - 270 killed

Question 20

What did the 1906 Fundamental Laws do

Answer 20

Re-established the tsar’s supreme powers - allowed him to shut the Duma down (was done 4 times)
Allowed for a more active secret police
It allowed the tsar to have ultimate power of the State Duma and its ministers - he had an absolute veto over any legislation

Question 21

What reform under Alexander III allowed for more repression

Answer 21

The Statute of State Security in 1881 - the authorities had the right to:
prohibit gatherings of more than 12 people, suspend periodicals, close schools and universities, dismiss
local employees, prosecute any individual for political crimes.

Question 22

How did A3 use the legal system for repression

Answer 22

Special government-controlled courts operated outside the legal system, and all judges, magistrates and officials sympathetic to the revolution were sacked

Question 23

How did Lenin change central government

Answer 23

introduced the Sovnarkom, Congress of the Soviets and the Central Executive Committee to rule this - as well as Politburo which ultimately made the decisions

Question 24

How did Lenin change local government

Answer 24

Local soviets represented communist party officials in the localities and the system of governments elected representatives for each wider body above it

Question 25

How did Lenin quickly change repression

Answer 25

he introduced the Cheka (secret police) and press freedom was abolished
Censorship made formal in 1921 with the founding of the Agitation and Propaganda Department
Red Army used with Cheka to crush opposition during the Civil War

Question 26

What did Stalin’s new constitution do

Answer 26

Changed Congress of Soviets to the Supreme soviet which now chose the Sovnarkom - not elected anymore - increased centralisation of power
Supposedly gave more autonomy to the republics but in reality this was untrue

Question 27

How did Stalin centralise power

Answer 27

1936 constitution and domination of the Politburo as the ‘vozd’
Used political manipulation and threat of violence to get there and stay there

Question 28

What did Stalin do to repression and control

Answer 28

Took it to a new extent
NKVD 1934 - ran gulags (40 mil people), executions common, deportation and special settlements, de-kulakisation - 1.2 million deported, Great Terror 1936-8 - 700,000 executed
Censorship - ‘soviet realism’, ‘cult of personality’, any challenges to this arrested or executed
Even NKVD and Army purged - 40% of top commanders removed

Question 29

Stalin’s ideology

Answer 29

Theoretical commitment to Marxism-Leninism
Became increasingly autocratic
Red Tsar

Question 30

Change in K’s ideology

Answer 30

De-stalinisation aimed to move away from Stalinist principles
Seen in move towards more collective leadership and the end of the cult of personality

Question 31

Change in K’s central government

Answer 31

Little real change - continued domination of the Politburo/Praedsidium
But more collective leadership - didn’t dominate in the same way shown by challenge from the Anti-Party group

Question 32

Change in K’s local govt

Answer 32

Widened communist party by 4 million members - more democratic/less centralised
Sovnarkhozy - failed