Political authority and opposition during wartime

Question 1

Why was St petersburg renamed and to what

Answer 1

The slavic petrograd in order to remove the german connotations of St Petersburg

Question 2

What was the Dumas last act before dissolving itself in 1914 to not impede the war effort

Answer 2

To pass war credits, the raising of taxes and loans to finance the war

Question 3

What were the names of the disastrous battles in 1914 for Russia

Answer 3

Tannenberg, in East Prussia, leaving 300,000 dead, and then the subsequent loss at Masurian Lakes, forcing the retreat from east prussia

Question 4

What did the goverment prohibit the sale of in 1914, to great dissent

Answer 4

Alcohol, but there were many cases of evasion

Question 5

What policy in 1914 did the Zemstvas heavily condemn

Answer 5

The setting up of ‘military zones’ in which civillian authority was suspended and military was in full control

Question 6

What did the zemstva establish to provide medical facilities, which the state neglected

Answer 6

‘Union of Zemstva’

Question 7

What did russian factory owners and buisnessman set up in order to coordinate production, perhaps exposing the inadequacy of the state

Answer 7

Congress of Representatives of Industry and Buisness

Question 8

What was formed in 1915 and chaired by Prince Lvov, and was it effective

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What did certain figures demand in late 1915 from the Tsar

Answer 9

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’

Question 10

What disastrous decision did Nicholas II take in 1915 after defeats in galicia against Austro Hungary

Answer 10

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

Question 11

Who was a damning influence for Nicholas II in St petersburg

Answer 11

Rasputin, who by 1916ish had begun to meddle in policy decisions, something hated by the populace, as well as Nicholas’ german wife

Question 12

When was Rasputin murdered

Answer 12

December 1916

Question 13

Was Nicholas in touch with his populace towards the end

Answer 13

No, he showed more concern for his childrens measles and was not at all concerned with the ever increasing discontent or failure in war

Question 14

What shortages did the Russian army face during ww1

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What was the name of the relatively successful russian campaign against austria, and why did it eventually stall

Answer 15

Brusilov offensive. It crushed Austria but the germans were able to reinforce better due to their superior railway networks

Question 16

How did spending on the war change from 1914 to 1918

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What was inflation looking like for ww1 russia

Answer 17

In the triple digits for many products, including salt at 483% increse from pre war prices, and an overall 53% devalue in the rouble

Question 18

How was life in ww1 russia

Answer 18

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

Question 19

How many workers demonstrated on the anniversery of bloody sunday in 1917

Answer 19

150,000

Question 20

What was Nicholas’ reply to a telegram from Rodzianko telling him of the unrest in the capital

Answer 20

The fat-bellied Rodzianko has written some nonsense to which I shall not even bother to reply

Question 21

What was Order No1 From the petrograd soviet

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Why did the Duma hand over power of the military in Order No1

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Where was Nicholas’ train diverted to in 1917

Answer 23

Pskov

Question 24

Who did Nicholas name as his heir as he resigned, under pressure from General Alekseev

Answer 24

Grand Duke Mikhail

Question 25

Which countres declared independence when the Tsar resigned

Answer 25

Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia +others

Question 26

Why did the Bolsheviks not fully revolt in Feb 1917

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Who did Grand Duke Mikhail relinquish power to

Answer 27

Provisional goverment lead by Prince Lvov

Question 28

Why was the Prov Gov seen as legitmate, given there were no elections

Answer 28

Had grand duke mikhails blessing

Question 29

What was the petrograd soviet intially dominated by

Answer 29

SR’s and Mensheviks

Question 30

How many of the 42 first committee members of the petrograd soviet were workers themselves

Answer 30

7; the rest were leftist intellectuals

Question 31

Who negotiated cooperation between the petrograd soviet and the provisional goverment, and what is this period known as

Answer 31

Alexander Kerensky
Dual power

Question 32

What was in kerenskys agreement for dual power, and noticeably, what wasnt

Answer 32

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

Question 33

What declaration by Milyukov lead to massive protests in petrograd, forcing his resignation

Answer 33

His ‘just peace’ speech, that war would continue until this was achieved, sparked huge anti war protests

Question 34

How many desertions did Russia face over ww1

Answer 34

195,000 between 1914 and feb 1917
365,000 between march and may 1917

Question 35

Who were milyukov and guchkov, someone else who resigned due to the ‘just peace’ speech, replaced by

Answer 35

Socialists, with Kerensky becoming head of the Prov Gov, Chernov becoming minister for agriculture and more mensheviks being added to the cabinet

Question 36

Who did Kerensky appoint as commander in chief of the army in july

Answer 36

Kornilov

Question 37

What was the kornilov coup

Answer 37

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

Question 38

Why did real wages fall in 1917

Answer 38

Extreme inflation and price increases

Question 39

What was a common view of the Prov Gov when they delayed elections until November

Answer 39

The bourgois goverment was delaying a move to greater democracy to preserve their own power

Question 40

What happened in August to disillusion trade union members against the prov gov

Answer 40

Factory owners were given the right to dismiss striking workers and workers committees were forbidden to meet during the workday