Nicholas II Flashcards
when and why did nicholas II come to power?
1894, after alexander III dies from kidney disease
how prepared was nicholas II to claim the throne?
unprepared, unwilling, unable to rule; “I am not prepared to be the Tsar. I never wanted to become one. I know nothing of the business of ruling” (nicholas II’s diary, 1894)
what did historians/politicians say about nicholas II?
- “nicholas had no knowledge of the world or of men” (hans rogger)
- “not fit to run a village post office” (leon trotsky)
who were nicholas II’s influences?
alexander III, pobedonostev, wife tsarina alexandra
how did nicholas II’s father influence him?
alexander III committed to Tsarist Conservatism and believed democracy would cause russia’s collapse and consisted of “senseless dreams” (nicholas II’s coronation speech, 1895)
who was nicholas II’s wife and how did she influence him?
tsarina alexandra, an autocrat, reinforced refusal to adapt
what problems did nicholas II face at the beginning of his reign?
- backwards, agriculture-dominated economy threatened russia’s status as Great Power and failed to feed rapidly growing population; no surplus
- “land hunger,” debt, starvation resulted in revolts and increasing political opposition, calls for parliament and democracy by growing educated workforce
what was the key aim of nicholas II’s reign?
modernize without revolution (strengthen autocracy economically and militarily but not socially)
how was russia’s agriculture behind at the beginning of nicholas II’s reign?
used medieval tools, mir prevented innovation/investments
how was russia’s industry behind at the beginning of nicholas II’s reign?
underdeveloped banking system and serfdom resulting in no workers; had increased but still behind compared to west
how was russia’s communication behind at the beginning of nicholas II’s reign?
22,000 km rail 1890 small for russia and compared to west
who was sergei witte?
dutch minister of finance 1892-1902; believed in rapid and forced industrialization to avoid dependence on other economies; “one of the outstanding statesmen of the 19th century” (Seton-Watson)
what was witte’s 4-fold plan to fund capital investment?
- tariffs on foreign goods to prevent competition
- foreign capital attraction (loans, especially from france)
- convert to gold standard currency to encourage foreign investment
- resources from peasantry (low wages, high taxes, export of “surplus”)
what were the successes of witte’s plan?
foreign investment, industrial output, rail coverage increase
how much did foreign investment increase as a result of witte’s plan?
200 million roubles 1890 to 900 million 1900, resulting in heavy industries
how much did industrial output increase as a result of witte’s plan?
40% from 1890-1910
how much did rail coverage increase as a result of witte’s plan?
7000 km 1890 to 60,000 1905; 1891 9600-km trans-siberian rail connected with vladivostok, 1897 manchuria rail
what were the failures of witte’s plan?
minimal communication systems, foreign capital interest, uprisings
how was communication still minimal after the implementation of witte’s plan?
rail minimal compared to US; trans-siberian more “symbolic” (only 1 track), other communication forms lagged
how did foreign capital gained from witte’s plan negatively impact the government?
resulted in 20% government spending going to interest, and some saw courting foreign countries as unpatriotic
how did witte’s plan lead to uprisings?
squeezed peasant resources resulted in starvation during bad harvest 1900-02; only 2% of population worked in industry 1900, and they had low wages, long hours, bad conditions; dismissed agricultural problems
did witte stay as minister of finance?
became chairman of the committees 1903; was symbolic position instead of influential position because conservatives didn’t like his somewhat liberal policies
what were the strengths of the tsar during nicholas II’s reign?
peasant and church support, control over government, army, secret police, and media
what celebration increased the tsar’s popularity during nicholas II’s reign?
300th anniversary romanov dynasty (since 1613)
how did control over the government, army, secret police, and media strengthen the tsar during nicholas II’s reign?
government and army controlled by nobles, cossacks used to shut down protests; okhrana and press censorship worked to some degree for alexander III
what were the weaknesses of the tsar during nicholas II’s reign?
humiliation from russo-japanese war, vast multinational country, poverty and backwards economy, autocracy, opposition
how was being a vast, multinational country a weakness for russia?
diverse population only united by romanov dynasty, 125 million subjects across asia and europe resulted in poor communication and difficult government
were the increase in towns and factories during nicholas II’s reign beneficial?
no; still poverty, workforce was unaffected and concentrated in Petrograd, most population country peasants controlled by nobles, and middle class started wanting a say in government
how was nicholas II’s autocracy a weakness?
forced to accept Duma 1905, but it had no power; nicholas II still acted alone, but was weak and didn’t act in 1917 crisis
what opposition groups were there during nicholas II’s reign?
Social Revolutionaries (peasants) and communists (followed Karl Marx, divided into menshiviks and bolsheviks); assassinations and protests occurred after 1900 (eg bloody sunday jan 22/05, murder PM stolypin 1911)
