Nicholas II's response Flashcards
Nicholas II was unable to regain control of Russia until…
October 1905.
What was the Tsar’s first attempt to show signs of compromise?
The August Manifesto or ‘Bulygin Constitution’.
What did Nicholas II’s advisers, and who particular, hope that the August Manifesto would do?
- Particularly Sergei Witte
- Hoped that it would divide opposition and therefore become the first step towards ending the Revolution
What did the August Manifesto promise?
- To establish an elected consultative assembly, or Duma
- The assembly was to be purely advisory or consultative: it would be given the opportunity to discuss proposed new laws, but would have no power
- It also set out a complex electoral system which gave all Russian men the right to vote, but ensured that the votes of the rich were worth more than the votes of the poor
Why did the August Manifesto fail to win over liberals?
The vast majority of liberals rejected it because:
1 - the proposed Duma was due to be consultative rather than legislative
2 - the electoral system excluded national minorities
3 - the electoral system did not include equal voting
4 - the Manifesto set no date for the first elections
5 - the Manifesto contained no guarantee of individual rights, or press freedom
What was the other problem with the August Manifesto? What was the consequence of this?
It contained nothing to appease workers or peasants. Witte had no intention of compromising with Russia’s poor - therefore it did nothing to stop the protests of workers or peasants
The August Manifesto had alienated…
the middle-class Russians.
What did the Tsar respond with, when there was backlash against the August Manifesto?
The October Manifesto - a decree which introduced seemingly radical constitutional reform.
The October Manifesto succeeded in…
winning over a significant section of the Russian middle class.
What major reforms did the October Manifesto promise?
1 - Greater freedom: the Manifesto promised that the government would respect individual rights, and allow greater press freedom, greater freedom of expression and freedom of assembly
2 - Elected representation: the Manifesto promised almost universal suffrage for Russian men, with equal voting rights for rich and poor
3- An elected Duma with the power to approve or veto new laws
4 - Political parties and trade unions would be legalised
What was the response of opposition groups to the October Manifesto?
- It succeeded in dividing opposition to the Tsar
- The vast majority of liberals welcomed it as a major step towards a constitutional monarchy
- Many hoped it would end the Tsar’s autocracy and establish a liberal democratic regime
- Radical liberals and socialists rejected it
- For some liberals - the reforms didn’t give enough power to the Duma
- Socialists argued that the reforms failed to address the peasants’ desire for land or the workers’ need for better condition
What was the reaction of the St Petersburg Soviet to the October Manifesto?
They called for a general strike to show their rejection of the compromise set out in the Manifesto.
What renewed violence was there after the October Manifesto?
- The Union of Russian People, founded in November 1905, and the Black Hundreds began pogroms against the Jews and street fights with striking workers
- The Union of Russian People fought for ‘Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality’, the key principles of Tsarism
- Racist violence increased during November and comptemporary newspapers indicate that thousands of Jews were killed
The appeal to racist nationalism helped…
turn the tide of the Revolution, as patriotism was one of the main supports of Tsarism.
By mid-November 1905, opposition was…
split and the Tsar was in much stronger position.
