Pillors of Autocracy/Before 1905 Flashcards
Introduction
In 1894 Russia was ruled by Tsar Nicholas II. He ruled Russia in an autocracy, which allowed him to have complete control and power of the Russian people. This essay will examine the Army, the Okhrana and the Orthodox Church. This view is not valid as the authority of the Tsarists state was challenged on many occasions.
The Army-Large, over 1 million
The Russian army was very large and had over one million men in it.
The Army-who were most soldiers and what were they taught?
Most of the soldiers had been peasants themselves, but had been taught to be loyal to the Tsar.
The Army-violence and force
The army constantly used extreme levels of violence and force against the peasants.
The Army Analysis
The Army was an important reason why the authority of the Tsarists state was never seriously challenged in the years before 1905 because the army could cover large areas as there were so many soldiers.
The Army Analysis+
However it could be argued that the Army wasn’t an important reason why the authority of the Tsarists state was never seriously challenged in the years before 1905 because as the peasants started to hate the Tsar more because of the unfair treatment and caused more revolts to happen.
The Okhrana-arrest, tourture
The Okhrana had the power to arrest and torture anyone they suspected without trial.
The Okhrana- what did the Okhrana have the power to do?
The Okhrana had the power to kill anyone they suspected of having anti-Tsarists feelings.
The Okhrana- whats the ratio of okhrana to people?
The Okhrana only had about 10,000 members to control 125 million people
The Okhrana Analysis
The Okhrana was an important reason why the authority of the Tsarist state was never seriously challenged in the years before 1905 because people feared arrest from the Okhrana so wouldn’t challenge the Tsar’s authority.
The Okhrana Analysis+
However it could be argued that the Okhrana wasn’t an important reason why the authority of the Tsarist state was never seriously challenged in the years before 1905 because it was really difficult to remain in control of the Russian people as they Okhrana were out numbers by a lot, 125 million russians and only 10,000 Okhrana.
The Orthodox Church-illiterate, only source of education
Most of the Russian population was illiterate and had to rely on what they were told by the Church. It was their only source of education and they tended to believe the teachings of the priests
The Orthodox Church-what was the church given and for what?
The Church was given financial rewards from the Tsar for the influential propaganda it spread, in particular its messages to peasants.
The Orthodox Church-what were priests seen as and why?
Priests were increasingly seen as untrustworthy and corrupt. They regularly had wives and many material possessions, even though these were banned.
The Orthodox Church Analysis
The Orthodox Church was an important reason why the authority of the Tsarists state was never seriously challenged in the years before 1905 because the Church would continue to spread the words of the Tsar as they wanted to get rewarded and had an incentive to continue spreading the propaganda. The people listened to the word of the church as they believed the word of god.
