Opposition To Tsarism Flashcards
The economic reforms carried out in this period STRENGTHENED the Russian economy.
In 1881 Russia had the world’s 11th largest economy & by 1914 the world’s…
5th largest
Industrialisation was good for Russia’s economy but bad for…
Russians
Industrialisation didn’t make for a happy society
The gap between rich and poor increased and society became…
Divided between the countryside and the town
Most peasants were still paying the…
Redemption payments imposed in return for the land they were given when they became free
The peasants now farmed…
Smaller landholdings than they’d had before emancipation, and had poor soil, as nobles kept the best land for themselves
Farming practices hadn’t…
Evolved much since the Middle Ages
Old-fashioned crop rotation was still common
Peasants couldn’t leave their village without the permission of the…
Mir
So they weren’t really free
The gap between rich and poor peasants grew. Richer peasants (kulaks) gained...
More land and ran local businesses
Many peasants migrated to the towns to earn…
Extra money when they weren’t needed for sowing & harvesting
Many town workers earned…
Barely enough to survive from one week to the next
Factory hours were not regulated by the state until witte introduced an 11.5 working day in 1897, however this law was often…
Ignored
Factories were meant to be regularly inspected but…
Safety rules usually weren’t followed
The rapid growth of towns meant that workers lived in…
Overcrowded and insanitary tenements
Health & education services were poor…
Creating more social inequality
Poor conditions led to…
Social unrest
Social unrest in the countryside resulted in…
1) Unrest amongst the peasants grew as their needs were put after the need to industrialise
2) Peasants resented the higher taxes and were bitter about the lack of government support during famines
Social unrest in the towns resulted in…
1) Industrial labourers suffering the most under witte’s industrialisation of Russia
2) They weren’t allowed to form trade unions and there were no legal political parties to represent their needs
3) Although town dwellers only accounted for 20% of the population, they became an increasingly radical force
Middle-class reformists formed the…
Liberals
The economic reforms led to the growth of a new, educated middle class, many of the politically active members of this class became…
Liberals
Liberals weren’t completely opposed to Tsarism, but they wanted the autocracy of the Tsars to be replaced with a…
Constitutional government
In 1903 liberals formed the…
League of Liberation
The League of Liberation wanted…
Shorter working day
More land for the peasants
Elected parliament
The middle class gained political experience through the…
Zemstva
Middle class organised…
Health & education services
Built roads and bridges
