Political Opposition to the Tsarist system of rule Flashcards
What was the ‘Peoples Will’?
Terrorist Organisation responsible for ALex II assassination in 1881
What did a growing middle class want?
constitutional government and political freedom
What did many peasants and workers want?
higher living standards and an end to extreme poverty
What were Karl Marx’s ideas?
- he argued that capitalism resulted in the exploitation of the workers
- workers would rebel and remove capitalism
- A communist society would emerge which would be fairer, no class struggle
- Accelerated industrialisation of Russia in 1890’s increased appeal of Marxism to working-class Russians
When was the Social Democratic Party established?
1898
What ideas did the Social Democratic Party consist of?
marxist ideas
What happened in 1903 in relation to the Social Democratic party?
the social democrats failed to agree on party organisation and strategy - party split into 2 groups
What were the 2 groups the Social Democratic Party split into?
- The Bolsheviks, ‘men of the majority’
- The Mensheviks, ‘men of the minority’
Who were the Bolsheviks led by?
Vladimir Lenin
What did the Bolsheviks believe?
Revolution could only be brought about by a small, secretive, elite group of dedicated Communist revolutionaries
What did the Mensheviks believe?
revolution should be carried out by a mass party which was open to the whole working class
What ideas did the Socialist Revolutionaries consist of?
drew upon some ideas of Marxism
Who were the Socialist Revolutionaries led by?
Victor Chernov
What did the Socialist Revolutionaries focus on?
attracting the support of the peasants
Why were the Socialist Revolutionaries popular in the early 20th century?
peasants experienced economic difficulties in early 20th century - turned for help - SR’s
Why were the Socialist Revolutionaries unlikely to succeed in the long term?
they had no coherant long-term plan to achieve power and were often poorly organised
What was the Socialist Revolutionaries main tactic?
terrorism e.g. assassination of Plehve the Minister of Interior, 1904
Who were the liberals?
- educated middle class wanting to adopt a modern western European style of democratic government
- wanted to reject the ideas of Marxism
What was the main reason for the liberals developing?
Industrialisation - resulted in a growing educated middle class
What did the liberals demand?
new political constitution, rejected by Nick II before 1905
How did liberals demands change during the early 20th century?
- demands became more aggressive
- Pavel Miliukov & Pyotr Struve demanded political reforms e.g. free elections, freedom of speech, press
What did Struve organise in 1904?
public protests to demand more concessions from the Tsar
What were the names of the 2 main liberal groups that emerged after the 1905 revolution?
Kadets and the Octobrists
Define liberalism:
a political orientation that favors social progress by reform and by changing laws rather than by revolution
What did the Kadets want?
further political reforms after 1905
What did the Octobrists want?
- fully accepted the reforms proposed in the October Manifesto
- did not campaign for further significant changes to the Russian constitution after 1905
