Nicholas II Flashcards
What was Nicholas’ attitude towards reform?
Turned his back to it and ran a very repressive government
Who was an incredibly influential minister for Nicholas?
Pobodonostev
What was the tigger for the 1905 revolution?
Bloody Sunday- where a crowd of 15,000 peaceful protestors led by Father Gapon where shot at by police, killing around 1,000
What were the key events of the 1905 Revolution?
. Bloody Sunday
. Widespread strikes
. Grand Duke Sergei assassinated
. Kadets formed (Milyukov leader)
. Mutiny on Battleship Potemkin
. Signing of the October Manifesto
What was the effect of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)?
Russia suffered a humiliating defeat, which was internationally humiliating and evidenced the incompetence of the government.
How many workers were on strike at the height of 1905?
Up to 2 million
What were the terms of the October Manifesto?
An elected Duma to advise the Tsar and have a say in State Policy
When was the All-Zemstvo Organisation established?
1896 by Shipov
What happened in 1898?
First congress of the Social Democratic Party (later to become the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks) in Minsk. Only 9 delegates present and no minutes taken, broken up by Okhrana agents.
When did Lenin write “What is to be Done”?
1902- Promoting a proletarian revolution
What did Nicholas declare in 1906?
The Fundamental Laws, which undermined the authority of the Duma by giving the Tsar the power of veto over their legislations and to dissolve them at any time
Which Duma was the most effective?
The 4th, passed 2,500 laws including social reforms such as health insurance for workers
Who was the first Prime Minister of Russia?
Witte: 1905-1906
Who replaced Witte as Prime Minister?
Stolypin: 1906-1911
What were Stolypin’s policies?
Tried to introduce Land Reform for the Peasants:
. Introduced the Peasant Land Bank which allowed Peasants to buy and sell land
. Private ownership amongst peasants increased from 20% in 1906 to 50% in 1915
What was grain production like under Nicholas?
Annual production of grain increased from 55 million tonnes in 1900 to 90 million tonnes in 1913
How did Stolypin die?
Assassinated by anti-monarchist Dmitry Bogrov
What was the state of the peasantry under Nicholas?
Only 10% of peasant farms were economically viable by 1914
When were Redemption Payments cancelled?
1907
When was Rasputin assassinated?
1916
When was the consequence of the World Economic Depression?
A huge recession in Russia between 1900-1905, which hit heavy industry especially hard
What was economic growth like under Nicholas?
. Number of banks grew from 1146 in 1908 to 2393 in 1914
. State revenue increased from 2 billion roubles in 1908 to 4 billion roubles in 1914
What was the growth in railways like?
33,000 miles of track in 1900 to 43,000 miles in 1913.
Opening of the Trans-Siberian Railway in 1904
What happened in 1908?
There was an industrial boom in Russia
What was Russia’s industrial growth like?
Between 1908-1913, Russia experienced an industrial growth rate of 8.5% per anum
What was the development of heavy industry like?
By 1914, Russia was the world’s fourth largest producer of coal, pig iron and steel
What was the growth of pig iron production?
3 million tonnes in 1910 to 5 million tonnes in 1913
What was the growth of coal production?
16 million tonnes in 1910 to 36 million tonnes in 1913
What was Russia’s industry like by 1914?
By 1914, Russia was the world’s fifth largest industrial power and the GDP had grown by 96.8% between 1898-1913
What was the population growth in cities like?
The population of St Petersburg doubled between 1900-1914
What were living conditions in cities like?
. Extreme overcrowding
. Lack of adequate housing (some housed up to 7 people in a room)
. 40% of houses had no sewage systems
How many people died in the Cholera outbreak between 1908-09
over 30,000
When was the Lena Goldfield’s Massacre
1912
What condition did Nicholas’ son suffer from that Rasputin claimed to heal?
Haemophilia
