overview 11th nov Flashcards

1
Q

when was the period of preservation of autocracy?

A

1855 - 1894

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2
Q

when was the period of collapsation of autocracy?

A

1894 - 1917

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3
Q

what does autocracy mean?

A

no limits to a ruler’s power; such a ruler was called an autocrat

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4
Q

what did Nicholas I say to his son when handing over the monarchy?

A

‘I hand over to you my command, unfortunately not in as good order as I would have wished’

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5
Q

what was the aim of the crimean war?

A
  • russia wanted to take control of the southern ports as the northern ports freeze over winter
  • take control of crimea as the ottoman/turkish empire was declining
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6
Q

why were russia at a disadvantage during the crimean war?

A
  • outdated technology, poor transport, and inadequate leadership
  • lacked flexibility and determination of the smaller british and french units
  • russia’s serf-based economy held back their industrialisation processes
  • the poor transport hindered transportation of equipment, soldiers and materials to the front lines and channel ports
  • one in two soldiers had a musket
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7
Q

example of russia’s poor transportation systems during the crimean war

A
  • one trainline from st. petersburg to moscow
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8
Q

example of russia’s outdated technology during the crimean war

A
  • still used sails and wooden-bottomed ships
  • compared to western ships that had metal cladding and were steam powered they were at a large disadvantage in terms of speed and durability
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9
Q

define enfranchisement

A

the right to vote

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10
Q

define manumission

A

being released

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11
Q

define manumission

A

being released

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12
Q

detail the 1879 assassination attempt

A
  • attempt to blow up alexander II train
  • however he got on an earlier train
  • therefore wrong train was blown up
  • conducted by the People’s Will
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13
Q

who are the ottoman turks?

A

those part of the dynasty originally founded by Osman, which governed the turkish empire until 1922

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14
Q

who are the ottoman turks?

A

those part of the dynasty originally founded by Osman, which governed the turkish empire until 1922

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15
Q

what is the eastern question?

A

issues that arose over the decline of the Turkish Ottoman empire

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16
Q

what is the eastern question?

A

issues that arose over the decline of the Turkish Ottoman empire

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17
Q

how big is russia’s empire? (square km)

A

21 million km (squared)

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18
Q

what was russias population in the mid 19th century?

A

70 million

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19
Q

what percentage of the population were peasants?

A

80-90%

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20
Q

what are examples of different cultures in russia?

A

ukrainians, tatars, latvians

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21
Q

what are echelons?

A

the highest members of society

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22
Q

what were the problems of the nature of autocratic rule?

A
  • upper levels of society liked the westernised outlook of russian elites, undermining the autocratic political culture of russia’s ruling group
  • dictatorial power contrasted with the western rule of constitutional governments and monarchies
  • all government members were appointed by the tsar or hereditary, meaning even the university educated members of society did not have the right to vote
  • most high powered people did not have the final say, the Tsar had to approve everything and would approve or disapprove the advice of ministers on his account
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23
Q

what did the small middle class consist of?

A

merchants, early industrialists, and professionals (lawyers)
however very small compared to the population size

24
Q

who was able to control the often volatile peasantry and how?

A

gentry
adaptation of village councils led by village elders (the mir)

25
Q

what was the role of the mir?

A

established and collected taxes, selected peasants for the army and allocated plots of land to be worked

26
Q

who were the serfs owned by?

A

half by the gentry and half by the state

27
Q

what did serfs do and what did they get in return?

A
  • provided labour in return for their crop shares and shelter
  • this is produced from a farming system based on cultivation of common fields
28
Q

how were serfs disciplined?

A
  • public floggings
29
Q

what restricted a serf from living a normal life?

A
  • had to receive permission from a noble landlord to move out of the community
  • also had to have permission from them to marry
30
Q

what were the working conditions for serfs like?

A
  • appalling, often led to disease, starvation
31
Q

what was the average life expectancy of serfs and why?

A
  • 35
  • because of the appalling living standards, deaths of starvation and disease were common
32
Q

what was the main restriction on serfs in their every day lives?

A

the vicious cycle of poverty

33
Q

at the start of the 19th century, what were Russia the world leader in? how did this change?

A

iron
- although by 1855 GB overtook and were producing 10 times more.

34
Q

what was the main holdback to why russia were behind other countries economically?

A
  • they had an unstable banking system meaning they were unable to supply investment capital which was required for the introduction of modern technology
35
Q

details about Russia’s iron production

A
  • 50k tons a year, mainly exporting to England
  • iron production grew by over 50% in the first half of the 19th century
  • this proved unimpressive as GB were able to produce three times as more in the 1850s, which astronomically compares to the figures at the start of the 19th century when GB were producing the same amount as Russia
36
Q

why was there stagnation in the Russian economy in terms of iron exports?

A
  • as iron became too expensive to sell into European markets as the transportation costs were too high (poor transportation system)
37
Q

where was iron transported from?

A

the urals (mountain range with bad communications to)

38
Q

what other industries other than iron suffered with stagnation?

A
  • wool, coal and chemical
39
Q

how did the cotton industry progress?

A
  • technology was given from england
  • expansion from the napoleonic wars as it protected the home industry from the english competition
  • further protection from high tariffs after 1822
  • after 1815, cheap yarn and spinning machines
  • fifth largest cotton industry in the world by 1850, total production was not much above 10% english production
40
Q

in what context was russia’s economy stagnated?

A

in the context of western countries

41
Q

what was the consequence of a small middle class?

A
  • little to no competitive businesses in the economy
42
Q

what was the orthodox church?

A

split in the christian church
eastern orthodox church had developed its own beliefs and rituals

43
Q

how was the Tsar viewed in religious terms?

A
  • as god
  • seen as the ‘little father’
  • majority of the population were highly uneducated
44
Q

define over-procurator

A

someone appointed by the Tsar from laity - highest church official
(archbishop of canterbury)

45
Q

define holy synod

A

a group of bishops who form the ruling body of the orthodox church
- highest authority on rules
- regulations
- faith
- matters of church organisation

46
Q

define laity

A

someone not ordained into the church community

47
Q

what is a red corner?

A
  • shrines decorated with icons and religious celebrations
  • in peasant homes
48
Q

how many russians supported the church?

A
  • difficult to sat how many russians adhered strictly to the tenets of the church
49
Q

what were examples of breakaway groups in terms of russian religion? what were their aims?

A

old believers or hysts
- challenged orthodox christians and focussed on dealing in rather unorthodox practices
- e.g. indulgence in orgies so that ‘original sin’ could be experienced to justify repentance

50
Q

reasons for emancipation

A
  • economic reasons = no middle class or production
  • moral case = rape, limited freedom
  • crimean war = loss and humiliation
  • risk of revolt = ‘people’s will’ and uprisings
51
Q

who was leo tolstoy?

A

owned 11 villages, 200 serfs, 12 acres each
- freed them with no payment

52
Q

how long did emancipation take to come into place?

A

5 years

53
Q

details of emancipation

A
  • abolished right of bondage
  • freedom to marry and enter trade
  • receive land from nobility
  • compensation to landowners
  • MIR held the land
  • redemption payments (pay back for land over 49 years)
54
Q

how long did state owned serfs have to wait for full freedom?

A

five years

55
Q

how long did privately owned serfs have to wait for full freedom?

A

two years

56
Q

what was the mir?

A

had seniority in the village
responsible for redemption payments and taxes
local assembly

57
Q

consequences of emancipation

A

peasants worse off
income fell up to 50% as redemption payments worked out to be a higher level than the value of the land