History - Russian Revolution 👨🏻🤛 Flashcards
Why was Russia behind the rest of the world?
While the rest of Europe was modernising, Russian rulers didn’t care about catching up with Europe and modernising.
Who were the Tsars?
They were the rulers of Russia.
Who were serfs?
People owned by their landlords to work.
Who was Tsar Alexander II?
He was a Tsar who tried to improve the country, and so he released serfs from their serfdoms. However, the landlords weren’t happy about this and made the serfs have to pay off an impossible amount of money.
People were not happy that Tsar Alexander II was having so much control over the country. What did they do to him?
Alexander II was killed.
Who was Tsar Alexander III?
Tsar Alexander II’s son, who felt his dad’s death had weakened the Tsar’s authority.
What did Tsar Alexander III do to Ethnic minorities??
He repressed religious minorities and Non-Russians.
Who was Tsar Nicholas II?
Tsar Alexander III’s son, who became Tsar after his father died. However, he wasn’t ready to rule.
What was Tsar Nicholas II’s first promise to Russia to celebrate his coronation?
He promised free pretzels and beer to a huge crowd in Moscow, and since Russian peasants were often starving, it was very appealing.
Why did people get mad at Tsar Nicholas II during his promise of free pretzels and beer?
Nicholas partied with the French, instead of being there for the people. This was bad for the Tsar’s reputation.
Who was Vladimir Lenin?
A member of Russia’s middle class who supported the idea of communism and wanted to take over Russia.
Who was Karl Marx?
He came up with the way that the economy has evolved and wanted to defeat capitalism.
What is Socialism?
When property is owned by the government and work is done by workers.
What is Communism?
When there is no private ownership, and work is done by everyone.
Lenin was exiled to Siberia. After this, where did he go?
Europe.
When Lenin was in Europe, what did he join?
He joined a party of communists, and wrote a communist newspaper to be smuggled into Russia.
Why did the socialist party Lenin was in split up?
Many didn’t agree with Lenin on a lot of things, so it split up into two parts.
What were the “majority” / bolsheviks?
Lenin’s part of the socialist party. They were often in the minority (unlike the name suggests), and were more radical.
What were the “minority” / mensheviks?
The less radical part of the socialist party. They were often in the majority.
Who was Sergei Witte?
One of the Tsars most skilled advisors, who knew that Russia has to catch up.
What did Sergei Witte bring to Russia?
He brought factories to Russia, but the conditions in the factories were terrible.
Why did Russia go to war with Japan?
The tsar thought that people would start to like them if they won a war.
Did Russia win the war against Japan?
No, they underestimated Japan’s power and lost.
Who was Father Gapon?
A priest who lead a very peaceful protest to petition to give better working conditions to workers.
