Political authority and opposition during wartime Flashcards
Why was St petersburg renamed and to what
The slavic petrograd in order to remove the german connotations of St Petersburg
What was the Dumas last act before dissolving itself in 1914 to not impede the war effort
To pass war credits, the raising of taxes and loans to finance the war
What were the names of the disastrous battles in 1914 for Russia
Tannenberg, in East Prussia, leaving 300,000 dead, and then the subsequent loss at Masurian Lakes, forcing the retreat from east prussia
What did the goverment prohibit the sale of in 1914, to great dissent
Alcohol, but there were many cases of evasion
What policy in 1914 did the Zemstvas heavily condemn
The setting up of ‘military zones’ in which civillian authority was suspended and military was in full control
What did the zemstva establish to provide medical facilities, which the state neglected
‘Union of Zemstva’
What did russian factory owners and buisnessman set up in order to coordinate production, perhaps exposing the inadequacy of the state
Congress of Representatives of Industry and Buisness
What was formed in 1915 and chaired by Prince Lvov, and was it effective
Zemgor, a union of municipal dumas and zemstvas to help the war effort. Was not allowed any direct influence and soon became a hotbed for discontent. Nicholas blamed it for causing discontent, rather than recognizing it as a symptom
What did certain figures demand in late 1915 from the Tsar
Deputies from the 4th Duma known as the progressive block demanded essentailly a constitutional monarchy, in the shape of the Tsar having a ‘goverment of public confidence’
What disastrous decision did Nicholas II take in 1915 after defeats in galicia against Austro Hungary
To declare himself commander in chief of the army and navy. He had already lost the confidence of russian high command, and this move did little to allay the lack of confidence and he was not good at war, so this just meant he assumed personal responsibility for military failures
Who was a damning influence for Nicholas II in St petersburg
Rasputin, who by 1916ish had begun to meddle in policy decisions, something hated by the populace, as well as Nicholas’ german wife
When was Rasputin murdered
December 1916
Was Nicholas in touch with his populace towards the end
No, he showed more concern for his childrens measles and was not at all concerned with the ever increasing discontent or failure in war
What shortages did the Russian army face during ww1
Lacked appropriate clothing
two rifles per three soldiers in 1914
In 1915 it was not unusual for artillery to be limited to 2 or 3 shots a day
What was the name of the relatively successful russian campaign against austria, and why did it eventually stall
Brusilov offensive. It crushed Austria but the germans were able to reinforce better due to their superior railway networks
How did spending on the war change from 1914 to 1918
10Xed from 1,500 million roubles to 14,500 million, but there was also a far greater cost in the essentially permanent loss of manpower, industry, land and trade
What was inflation looking like for ww1 russia
In the triple digits for many products, including salt at 483% increse from pre war prices, and an overall 53% devalue in the rouble
How was life in ww1 russia
Bad, unless you had surplus grain or horses to sell the military and could benefit from conscription alleviating some of the overpopulation
Food shortages were rampant, with much hoarding, and distribution was inefficent as the railways were hijacked for war
Fuel and general consumer goods were also in acute shortage, as military needs took precedence
Lockouts and strikes, some influenced by germany, crippled what industry was left
How many workers demonstrated on the anniversery of bloody sunday in 1917
150,000
What was Nicholas’ reply to a telegram from Rodzianko telling him of the unrest in the capital
The fat-bellied Rodzianko has written some nonsense to which I shall not even bother to reply
What was Order No1 From the petrograd soviet
Military regiments will elect committees and send representatives to the soviet, with the units being under the control of the soviet
The duma will be obeyed only if it remains consistent with the soviets orders
Weapons to be controlled by elected soldiers committees, not officers
General improvements for soldiers, e.g. enjoy full civillian rights while off duty
Why did the Duma hand over power of the military in Order No1
The Army was crumbling with mutinys and desertion from units awaiting the dreaded call to the front lines and the duma itself was in a precarious position, so had to submit to the nominally democratic Soviet with the peoples will behind it
Where was Nicholas’ train diverted to in 1917
Pskov
Who did Nicholas name as his heir as he resigned, under pressure from General Alekseev
Grand Duke Mikhail
Which countres declared independence when the Tsar resigned
Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia +others
Why did the Bolsheviks not fully revolt in Feb 1917
Most of the leaders, of not only the bolsheviks but other groups including mensheviks, were in prison/exile/abroad, so were not on the ground to enact it, perhaps speaking to the success of later tsarist policing successes
Who did Grand Duke Mikhail relinquish power to
Provisional goverment lead by Prince Lvov
Why was the Prov Gov seen as legitmate, given there were no elections
Had grand duke mikhails blessing
What was the petrograd soviet intially dominated by
SR’s and Mensheviks
How many of the 42 first committee members of the petrograd soviet were workers themselves
7; the rest were leftist intellectuals
Who negotiated cooperation between the petrograd soviet and the provisional goverment, and what is this period known as
Alexander Kerensky
Dual power
What was in kerenskys agreement for dual power, and noticeably, what wasnt
Amnesty for political prisoners
basic civil liberties
right to unions and striking
creation of a constituent assembly
No mention of land redistribution or industry nationalisation, showing the soviet was willing to cooperate
What declaration by Milyukov lead to massive protests in petrograd, forcing his resignation
His ‘just peace’ speech, that war would continue until this was achieved, sparked huge anti war protests
How many desertions did Russia face over ww1
195,000 between 1914 and feb 1917
365,000 between march and may 1917
Who were milyukov and guchkov, someone else who resigned due to the ‘just peace’ speech, replaced by
Socialists, with Kerensky becoming head of the Prov Gov, Chernov becoming minister for agriculture and more mensheviks being added to the cabinet
Who did Kerensky appoint as commander in chief of the army in july
Kornilov
What was the kornilov coup
Kornilov ordered 6 units to crush the Soviet in Petrograd, likely to extabilish a military goverment
kerensky, who previously backed the coup, panicked, and released communist prisoners and armed them from goverment stockpiles.
Kornilov’s supply lines were cut, his leadership was arrested and the coup failed
Why did real wages fall in 1917
Extreme inflation and price increases
What was a common view of the Prov Gov when they delayed elections until November
The bourgois goverment was delaying a move to greater democracy to preserve their own power
What happened in August to disillusion trade union members against the prov gov
Factory owners were given the right to dismiss striking workers and workers committees were forbidden to meet during the workday
