Nationalities Exam 10/3/21

Question 1

Lenin advanced the rights of the nationalities more than any other leader in the period from 1855 – 1964.’ How far do you agree?

Answer 1

i

Question 2

Nationalities under Alexander II

Poland, Finland, Ukraine, Jews

Answer 2

Polish Revolt 1863 -
80,000 Russian Army v Polish 10,000 Guerilla tactics. Hanged rebel leaders. Gave greater terms to polish peasants in the Emancipation than Russians, but hostilities remained in Poland

Finland - Given own currency and parliament (Diet).

Ukraine - Banned Ukrainian publications in 1863, removed all Ukrainian books by 1876

Jews - Confined to living in the Pale of Settlement as they had done since 1791.
Alexander II allowed them to attend higher education and government service. Closed Jewish Schools in 1870s

Question 3

Nationalities under Alexander III

Answer 3

Poland - 1885 law said almost all subjects taught in Russian

Baltic (Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania) - 1885 schools taught in Russian. Against the law to convert form orthodoxy to other faiths.

Jews - Pogroms in 12 cities 1881, 4 cities in 1883.

Question 4

Nationalities under Nicholas II

Answer 4

Finland - Good Finnish relations destroyed. 1899 Imperial Manifesto allowed Nicholas II to bypass the Finnish Diet. Conscripted Fins

Jews - Hated jews. Pogroms on a wide scale in early 1900s.

Question 5

Nationalities under Lenin

+ Speech

Answer 5

‘The right of all nations forming part of Russia to freely secede and form independent states must be recognised’ - Bolshevik Conference April 1918

Brest-Litovsk 1918 Gave many nations independence, such as Poland, Estonia, Latvia

Finland - December 1917 become independent capitalist democracy

Jews - Not required to live in the Pale, but the Bolsheviks were opposed to all religions. 1919-20 Synagogues seized and Rabbis persecuted

1924 - Creation of the USSR. In theory, Republics governed themselves and could leave, but in reality, they still answered to Sovnarkom. Were one-party states with Bolshevik controllers.

Encouraged cultural events in republics, native language schools

Question 6

Nationalities under Stalin

Answer 6

Reversal in Lenins policies of cultural celebration. By end of the 1930s, all Republic leaders of the 20s had been purged, replaced by Russian officials.

Stalin was aware he needed support of the republics when War seemed likely, so still celebration

Mass deportations in late 30s and early 40s. Every Korean in far east areas 1937, 1941-44 Germans in the Volga region

Jews - Schools and museums closed form 1948. 1952 13 prominent Jewish writers executed - ‘Night of the Muredered Poets’

Question 7

Nationalities under Khrushchev

Answer 7

Gave Titos Yugoslavia some autonomy.

Increased amount of Ukrainians on Communist Central Party Committee

Deported many in Baltic states. 1939 88% in Estonia were Estonian. 61.5% by 1989

Crushed Hungarian Revolution 1956, 2500 Hungarian deaths

Jews - Did little to raise their status. Closed remaining synagouges 1957.
Campaign against ‘economic crimes’ 1961. Most of these executed were Jews.