Nicholas II

Question 1

Why was Nicholas II faced with issues upon his ascension

Answer 1

He did not expect to be Tsar so soon; His father had died much earlier than expected so had not given him much training in tsarring as he may have wanted

Question 2

What actions did Nicholas II continue towards the empires ethinc minorities

Answer 2

Russification and support for the far right black hundreds organisation, who were deeply anti semitic

Question 3

How many people died at Nicholas II coronation

Answer 3

Only 1400 from being crushed by a stampede for free food and drink and to see the Tsar

Question 4

What change did oppositional groups undergo after the 91-92 famine

Answer 4

They became more politicized; more determined to end the tsars dominance that they thought caused the famine

Question 5

After an incident in St Petersburh in 1901, how many students were killed and imprisoned after cossacks charged a crowd

Answer 5

13 dead, 1500 imprisoned

Question 6

What was the nickname for the prevalence of arson in the years 1902 to 1907

Answer 6

Years of the red cockeral

Question 7

Where was the unrest in the early 20th century the worst

Answer 7

In the central russian provinces, where the relationships between peasants and landowners was the most traditional

Question 8

How did Stolypin, the Tsars minister, deal with the unrest

Answer 8

With great prejudice. The noose came to be known as ‘Stolypins necktie’, as many of those involved in disturbances were hanged

Question 9

How did industrial strikes in towns and cities change in the early 19th century

Answer 9

Increased dramatically, from 17,000 in 1894 to 90,000 in 1904

Question 10

What was the name of one of the Unions of the Zubatov Model, led by Georgi Gapon and how many members did they have

Answer 10

assembly of St petersburg workers
Twelve branches and 800 members

Question 11

When was Vyacheslav Plehve assassinated and what was the popular response

Answer 11

1904; widespread celebration in warsaw and his final contribution was encouraging the russo-japanese war

Question 12

Who replaced Plehve as head of the Duma and what was Nicholas II’s response

Answer 12

Pyotr Mirsky; Zemstvo representatives were invited to st petersburg for discussion
Nicholas refused to concede any degree of autocracy

Question 13

How many workers were involved in putilov iron works strikes in 1905, which turned into bloody sunday

Answer 13

150,000

Question 14

When did Bloody Sunday take place and why

Answer 14

9 January 1905

Question 15

Where did Nicholas II spend his time during bloody sunday

Answer 15

Tsarskoe Selo, His summer palace

Question 16

How many soldiers were used to break up bloody sunday, and how many civillian deaths

Answer 16

12,000, 150 killed

Question 17

What was the event that finally precipitated Nicholas II meeting with the representatives of the bloody sunday rioters

Answer 17

Assassination of Grand Duke Sergei

Question 18

What did Nicholas do as a response to bloody sunday

Answer 18

He dismissed the relatively moderate mirsky, bought in hard line replacements, and suggested that the marchers were poorly advised and should return to work

Question 19

Where did a naval mutiny take place in 1905 and how many of the crowd watching were killed

Answer 19

The battleship potemkin
2000 killed

Question 20

Who set up a general strike, beginning in moscow in 1905

Answer 20

St Petersburg soviet

Question 21

What did one of the Tsars Grand Dukes threaten to do unless reforms were instituted

Answer 21

Shoot himself

Question 22

What did the October Manifesto grant

Answer 22

Civic freedom- personal rights, freedom of conscience, speech and assembly
establish a state duma with the power to approve laws

Question 23

What was the reaction to the october manifesto

Answer 23

Celebration in st petersburg-crowds singing la marsellaise
general strike called off
however radicals wanted to fight on, saying they haave ‘been granted everything and granted nothing’, as the status quo would essentially continue

Question 24

What did the head of the moscow police, Dmitri Trepov do despite the oct manifesto granting full civil rights

Answer 24

Order troops to fire no blanks and spare no bullets in forcing strikers back to work

Question 25

What happened to the St petersburg soviet in dec 1905

Answer 25

Hq surrounded, members arrested and exiled

Question 26

What did Nicholas issue right before the meeting of the first duma

Answer 26

The fundamental laws, “ordained by god himself”
Tsar claimed the right to veto legislation,
Rule by decree in emergency or if the duma is not present
Appoint and dismiss govt ministers
dissolve the duma as he wished
Command the military
Overturn judicial sentencing aand convictions

Question 27

What were each of the dumas and their epithets

Answer 27

1st duma-duma of national hope
2nd duma-duma of national anger
3rd duma-duma of lords and lackeys
4th duma-n/a

Question 28

Who boycotted the first duma and what did that lead to

Answer 28

The Bolsheviks, SRs and the right wing union of the russian people leaving a radical-liberal composition. It was very critical of the Tsar and lead to Witte’s reisgnation as Prime Minister

Question 29

What did the First duma send to Nicholas II

Answer 29

An Address to the Throne, in which they asked for political amnesty, abolition of the state council, universal suffrage and civil service reform.

Question 30

What was Alexander II response to the 1st dumas demand

Answer 30

He told goremykin, who had replaced Witte, they were totally unnacpetable, ten weeks later the 1st duma was dissolved and stolypin replaced goremykin with even more of a hard line reputation

Question 31

Why was Stolypin forced to use tsarist emergency powers to pass his agrcultural legislation in the second Duma

Answer 31

The Sr and bolsheviks had stopped boycotting so the 2nd duma was even more oppositionaal to the tsar

Question 32

Why was the 2nd duma dissolved

Answer 32

Duma refused to ratify stolypins policies so he spread rumours about a threat to the tsars life and dissolved the duma, arrested the radicals and illegally altered the franchise law to reduce peasant and minority vote

Question 33

How many govt proposals did the third duma ratify, giving it its epithet, but why was this still suprisiing

Answer 33

2200/2500
There was still a large amount of opposition, even for a heavily weighted court, proving how unpopular nicholas II was. e.g. in 1911 the Duma had to be suspended twice to force through legislation

Question 34

When was stolypin assassinated

Answer 34

1911

Question 35

What did the prime minister claim about the 4th duma

Answer 35

‘thank god we still have no parliament’ and then proceeded to ignore the duma

Question 36

What did the failure of the duma mean

Answer 36

As war approached, opposition returned to direct action e.g. strikes (lena goldfields etc) as a means of revolt

Question 37

What method did Stolypin use to deal with political crimes

Answer 37

Anyone suspected would be tried in a court martial led by military officers. The trial would be shorter than 2 days and no defense counsel was allowed. 3000 were tried and executed like this between 1906 and 1909

Question 38

What did Stolypin believe needed heavily reforming

Answer 38

Agriculture

Question 39

What ideology was revived in early 20th century and lead to unfortunate consequences

Answer 39

pan-slavism

Question 40

Which was the only political party nicholas II sympathized with

Answer 40

Union of the Russian People because it told him he was inexorably linked with god

Question 41

What disease did Rasputin claim to be able to heal

Answer 41

Nicholas II sons Haemophilia

Question 42

What, overall, did the Rasputin scandal prove

Answer 42

That the Tsars outlook on his authority and poewr had remained unchanged from 1905, and he was immune to discontent from all those around him