Late Imperial Russia

Question 1

In 1897 how many Russians were there compared to Ukrainians?

Answer 1

55m to 22m

Question 2

What three bodies was the Tsars absolute rule exercised through?

Answer 2

1) The Imperial Council - a group of honorary advisors directly responsible to the Tsar
2) The Cabinet of Ministers - ran the various government departments
3) The Senate - supervised the operation of the law
= only really able to give advice

Question 3

What did the Tsars method of power show?

Answer 3

How little Russia had advanced politically compared with other European nations
= by 20th century all major-European states had some sort of democratic or representative gov

Question 4

How did political parties/groups live in Tsarist Russia?

Answer 4

Underground

Question 5

What did denial of free speech tend to cause?

Answer 5

Political activists to turn to extremism

Question 6

What was the Okhrana?

Answer 6

The Tsarist secret police

- hunted down subversives who challenged the tsarist regime

Question 7

How did the Orthodox church support the tsarist system?

Answer 7

Became a deeply conservative body, opposed to political change and determined to preserve the tsarist system

Question 8

In 1897 what percentage of Russia was upper class, working class and peasants?

Answer 8

• U/C = 12%
• W/C = 4%
• Peasants = 82%

Question 9

How was Russian not entirely without industry?

Answer 9

• Urals provided iron
• Moscow and St P. had textile factories
• Most villages had smelting works

Question 10

Why had Russians financial system prevented industrial growth?

Answer 10

It had not yet mastered the art of borrowing and investment = discouraged entrepreneurialism

Question 11

Why was the amount of peasants a problem?

Answer 11

There was not enough fertile land to go round

Question 12

How did the governing elite view peasants?

Answer 12

With a mixture of fear and contempt = ‘the dark masses’

Question 13

Why did the Tsars not want to raise the education level?

Answer 13

Were worried that this may prove to be extremely dangerous, socially and politically

Question 14

How much was spent on military?

Answer 14

45% of the governments annual expenditure

Question 15

How much was spent on education?

Answer 15

4% of the governments annual expenditure

Question 16

How was there a corrupt bureaucracy?

Answer 16

Due to nepotism and incompetence = main reasons for Russia’s backwardness

Question 17

What did Alexander Herzen write about the tsarist system?

Answer 17

That is was run by a bureaucratic class that, for all its incompetence, still possessed the power to control the lives of the Russian masses

Question 18

What was a major barrier for reform?

Answer 18

Disagreement within the government elite over Russia’s trie character as a nation - differences between ‘Westerners’ and ‘Slavophiles’

Question 19

What were the significant periods of reform in Russia often due to?

Answer 19

National crisis or humiliation

Question 20

What did the Zemstvos provide?

Answer 20

A form of representative government, although very limited, which offered some hope to those who longed for an extension to political rights

Question 21

How did Alexander II relax censorship?

Answer 21

Relaxed controls over the press and universities

= encouraged the development of an intelligentsia

Question 22

What was Alexander II’s intention for reform?

Answer 22

To introduce it from above to prevent revolution from below

Question 23

What caused the intelligentsia to turn to revolution?

Answer 23

The reaction of AIII and NII = felt betrayed + despaired tsardom as a force for change

Question 24

What was The Statue of State Security 1881?

Answer 24

• Special gov. controlled courts outside the existing legal system set up
• Judges etc who were sympathetic to liberal ideas were removed
• Power of Okhrana extended
• Censorship tightened

Question 25

What did The University Statue 1887 do?

Answer 25

Brought the universities under strict government control

Question 26

What was The Zemstva Act 1890?

Answer 26

Decreased the independence of local councils and empowered government officials to interfere in their decision making

Question 27

Why was Nicholas opposed to change?

Answer 27

Reform had a bad name and is education had made him suspicious of it

Question 28

Who was Pobedonostsev?

Answer 28

Chief minister in the government from 1881-1905 and was the Procurator of the Synod - deep distaste for all forms of democracy

Question 29

What was Russification?

Answer 29

A severely enforced policy of restricting the influence of the non-Russian national minorities within the empire by emphasising the superiority of all things Russian

Question 30

What nationalities suffered the most?

Answer 30

Baltic Germans, Finns, Poles, Ukrainians and Armenians | = state interference in their education, religion and culture became widespread and systematic

Question 31

How were the Jews repressed?

Answer 31

Measures introduced, imposing heavy social, political and economic restrictions on them - most lived in 'ghettos' + were scapegoated for Russia's problems

Question 32

How did the tight controls Nicholas introduce not lessen opposition?

Answer 32

Opposition actually became more organised | - policies of reaction caused political and national groups to become frustrated by coercion and incompetence

Question 33

Why was Russification ill-judged?

Answer 33

- At a critical stage of development cohesion and unity were needed - Russia chose to treat half its population as inferiors or potential enemies

Question 34

What was a major reason for the 'great spurt'?

Answer 34

- Increase in the output of coal in Ukraine and oil in the Caucasus - Sudden acceleration was the result of private enterprise = sustained by government policy

Question 35

Why was economic expansion attractive to the Tsar?

Answer 35

It was a means of improving the strength of the Russian armed forces

Question 36

How did Witte raise capital?

Answer 36

Negotiated large loans and investments from abroad, while imposing heavy taxes and high interest rates at home

Question 37

Why did Witte set up protective tariffs?

Answer 37

As a means of safe guarding Russia's domestic industries such as steel production

Question 38

Why was currency put on the gold standard?

Answer 38

Hope was that this would crete finical stability and so encouraged international investment in Russia

Question 39

How many miles of railway were there in 1881 compared to 1913?

Answer 39

``` 1881 = 13,000 1913 = 44,000 ```

Question 40

When was the Trans-Siberian Railway created?

Answer 40

1891-1902

Question 41

What are the figures of coal output in 1890 compared to 1916?

Answer 41

``` 1890 = 6m tons 1916 = 34m tons ```

Question 42

What are 3 drawbacks of Witte's reforms?

Answer 42

- Russia became too dependent on foreign loans - Neglected vital light engineering areas such as machine tool production - Paid no attention to agriculture

Question 43

Why did peasants who had left the country side to work in the city initially accept their grim conditions?

Answer 43

Due to the higher wages they received but when the boom turned to recession there was widespread unemployment

Question 44

What was the overall increase in industrial output from 1908-1914?

Answer 44

8.5%

Question 45

Why did few workers gain from the industrial and financial expansion?

Answer 45

Weak TUs and minimal legal protection left the workforce very much at the mercy of the employers - Little of the money in circulation reached their pockets

Question 46

How did inflation and wages rise?

Answer 46

Inflation rose 40% between 1908-1914 but the average wage rose from 245 to 264 roubles a month

Question 47

By 1914 how much of the population were peasants?

Answer 47

4/5

Question 48

What are the two main groups opposed to Nicholas?

Answer 48

Revolutionaries and reformers (liberals)

Question 49

What were the 3 major forces within the revolutionaries?

Answer 49

The Populists, SRs and SDs

Question 50

What was the view of the Populists?

Answer 50

Regarded the future of Russia as being in the hands of the peasants

Question 51

Who made up the Populists?

Answer 51

M/c, u/c and students = no real success, not supported by peasants

Question 52

What did the Populists turn to?

Answer 52

Terrorism as a means of achieving their aims = People's Will

Question 53

Where did the SRs come from?

Answer 53

The Populist movement

Question 54

What assassinations were the SRs responsible for?

Answer 54

1901-1905 over 2000 assassinations, including Grand Dule Sergei

Question 55

What were the Left SRs and Right SRs?

Answer 55

``` Left = terrorists Right = willing to work with other parties ```

Question 56

Who did the SRs receive growing support from after 1906?

Answer 56

The professional classes, TUS and the All-Russian Union of Peasants

Question 57

When were political parties allowed?

Answer 57

1905-1921

Question 58

Who were the Octoberists?

Answer 58

Moderates who were basically loyal to the tsar - believed in the maintenance of the Russian empire - regard the manifesto and the duma as major constitutional advances

Question 59

What was the Kadets view?

Answer 59

Wanted Russia to develop as a constitutional monarchy in which the powers of the Tsar would be restricted by a democratically elected constituent assembly