Key Topic 1 - The Collapse Of The Tsarist Regime Flashcards
What were the problems in Russia in 1917?
In 1917 the Russian Empire was very large (92x as large as Britain) and covered around 1/6 of the land in the world. Communication was therefore difficult and only some areas were connected by railways.
Also, due to the abundance of people (125 million), most of them were peasants. There were frequent shortages.
Work was difficult to find - long hours, low pay and dangerous tasks. Factory owners spent little money of improving the working conditions
Russia was a backwards country - only 2% worked in industry, with 80% illiteracy in Russia
What were the problems with Tsar Nicholas II?
He was indecisive and knew himself that he wasn’t ready to become Tsar. He wasn’t concerned with the issues in Russia, but felt that he had to remain as Tsar to be able to pass it to his son
What was the Duma?
A parliament with two houses (one decided by the public) setup by the Tsar in 1906 to release the pressure on him from the 1905 Revolution. Politics could be openly discussed and political parties could now be formed. However, this only lasted for 72 days as the Tsar didn’t want to share his power
What was the 1905 Revolution?
People in Russia were unsettled about the way things were - demonstrations and strikes occurred. Troops guarding the Tsar’s Winter Palace shot down the demonstrators (killing 130 and injuring many more), which caused even more strikes. The St.Petersburg strikers formed a soviet to organize strikes. Work in the city stopped, and in some places the Soviets took over from the Tsar’s government
What were the three opposition groups?
Monarchists - supported the Tsar
Constitutionalists - wanted the Tsar to be limited by a constitution and some kind of parliament
Revolutionaries - wanted to overthrow the Tsar. The Socialist Revolutionaries believed in a revolution led by the peasants. The Bolsheviks (Lenin) and Mensheviks were the main divisions.
What was the October Manifesto? Why was it ineffective?
It stated that Nicholas would allow civil liberties to everyone (freedom from arrest, freedom of speech etc), create the State Duma, and allow anyone the right to vote on the houses in the Duma.
It was ineffective because the Tsar changed his mind and closed the Duma after 72 days - laws were made without their consent. Also, there was no relaxation of the Okhrana’s power.
Why did the Tsar become unpopular in 1914?
His wife, Alexandra, was suspected of being a German spy so was unpopular. She made many mistakes when left in command of Russia when Nicholas went to war.
He took personal command of WW1 in 1915 because it was going poorly for Russia - he was then blamed for all the issues in the war. He had no military experience so this position of power was useless.
What was the impact of the First World War on Russia?
The Army
Poorly equipped and old-fashioned - they relied on bayonets and had very few machine guns.
They used radio to send messages so Germans were able to listen in and discover what the Russians were doing.
Most of their soldiers were untrained - 6 million men were in the army and only 4.5 million had rifles. They were told to get them from dead soldiers.
Inflation & Shortages
The railways broke down so there weren’t enough carriages to pull the trains and transport food - any that could were diverted to the army. Therefore, shortages were severe in Russia - worst affected were Petrograd (previously called St.Petersburg) and Moscow.
Food shortages led to inflation of 300%. Horses were also taken by the army which made it hard to plough fields and transport around Russia
Conscription
Millions of peasants were conscripted to fight in the war, which made it harder to grow food and keep up the industry.
Why did the unrest build by 1917?
Workers, unlike peasants, had to buy their food or starve - peasants had some crops stored up. The amount of food eaten fell by 25% and infant mortality doubled.
The crime rate by 1917 had tripled compared to 1914.
The Bolsheviks and Mensheviks used this to build up a revolution. They held meetings discussing the shortages and holding a revolution, and the workers listened to them.
Automatic loyalty was no longer given to the Tsar, which was a massive turning point as this was the only thing protecting him
What were the events building up to The February Revolution in 1917?
23 Feb - Russia celebrates International Women’s Day and women protest about equality. The strikers involved continues to increase, with people striking about bread shortages and working hours as well. The police couldn’t stop them - the strikers stole from rich areas and held a mass protest. Skilled workers, shopkeepers and office workers also joined the protestors.
25 Feb - The Tsar was informed by his wife and the Chairman of the Duma, Rodzianko. His wife told him the demonstrators were only minor, but Rodzianko told him it was serious and that a new government needed to be formed. He believed his wife, however. He ordered the troops to “put down” the demonstrators.
What was the February Revolution in 1917?
Revolutionary groups clashed with the troops and tried to overcome them. The troops were ordered to fire but refused - this was the turning point. They ended up shooting their commanding officer and called other troops to join them.
They provided weapons to the revolutionaries and organized them. They worked together with the revolutionaries to capture the main weapons store - they got 40,000 rifles and 30,000 revolvers. They fought the police, who had stayed loyal to the Tsar. They released political prisoners on the 27-28th February.
What were the problems with the First Provisional Government?
Were there any achievements?
They were formed by the Duma in March 1917 to be a temporary replacement for the Tsar.
They had no real power - needed the Petrograd Soviet to approve all their decisions.
They believed they couldn’t make important decisions and should leave it for the Constituent Assembly.
Many of the reforms they promised involved them controlling more of Russia than they did - they only really had control over some cities and towns.
They couldn’t remove Russia from the war as they couldn’t desert troops already out, so they sent in more and tried to encourage people to fight for the republic, but all the same issues were still present.
However, they did manage to form an 8-hour working day and make it legal for people to hold public meetings, speak freely and form political parties. They also released political prisoners. This allowed people to criticize them openly, however.
When did the Tsar abdicate?
1917, when the Provisional Government was formed
What was expected of the Provisional Government?
- Remove Russia from the war
- Provide a more effective government
- Improve conditions for workers in towns and cities
- Solve the shortages
- Redistribute property more equally (especially the peasant’s land)
What was Lenin’s April Theses?
A list of aims for the Soviet Party to work towards the workers’ revolution. He stated that:
The Provisional Government should be abolished
All power should be given to the Soviets
All land should be taken over by the state
All banks should be united into the National Bank and be controlled by the Soviets
All factories should come under the control of the Soviets
The army should be transformed into a national militia
