R1 - Tsar's Grip on Power

Question 1

population of Russia in the late 1880s

Answer 1

100 million

Question 2

how much of the globe did the Russian empire cover

Answer 2

a sixth

Question 3

what did the fundamental laws state about the Tsar

Answer 3

he had supreme and unlimited power

Question 4

the statue of state security

Answer 4

• controlled information by preventing anti-tsarist opinions from being read or shared.
• negative views on the Tsar were not shared publicly and people were being manipulated into following the Tsar’s rule

Question 5

university statue of 1887

Answer 5

• govt had control over what was taught in universities

- anything considered revolutionary or anti-tsarist was banned

Question 6

what did the university statue cause?

Answer 6

• it angered students which led to protests in St. Petersburg and Moscow
• people were beginning to resent against the Tsar’s authority.

Question 7

what happened to those who were believed to be circulating revolutionary pamphlets/ banned books?

Answer 7

they were dealt with by the Okhrana and therefore controlling anti-tsarist opinions

Question 8

which groups of people resented censorship?

Answer 8

1. students
2. the increasingly literate working class
3. the liberal intelligentsia

Question 9

how did the Tsar being the head of the church allow him to keep a secure grip on power?

Answer 9

• he had a direct influence over what was preached in sermons.
• he was able to control the majority of the population through the words of priests.

Question 10

why did some revolutionaries become unhappy with the church?

Answer 10

-they became unhappy with the loss of ‘Christian values’ of the Orthodox church as they protected the rich and did not speak out against poverty and oppression.

Question 11

what happened to those who followed a different religion?

Answer 11

-it became a criminal offence to abandon the orthodox religion and those who followed other religions were persecuted severely

Question 12

why were priests often not respected by peasants?

Answer 12

• they thought they were corrupt and hypocritical

- the church became less respected during the rule of Nicholas II

Question 13

when was the Okhrana formed?

Answer 13

in 1881 after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II

Question 14

who were the cossacks?

Answer 14

• the elite troops within the army
• they were notorious for being brutal and using extreme violence even against the Russian people.
• Russian people hated the treatment they received

Question 15

methods of the Okhrana

Answer 15

extreme methods such as:

1. espionage
2. court surveillance
3. torture

Question 16

why were the Okhrana’s methods effective in maintaining the Tsar’s grip on power?

Answer 16

• struck fear into the heart’s of potential revolutionaries and dealt ruthlessly with existing ones
• by monitoring groups, they could prevent political crimes and keep the Tsar protected

Question 17

labour camps

Answer 17

• by 1917, it is thought that the Okhrana had been responsible for the execution of 26000 people
• terrible conditions in labour camps
• Okhrana sent many others to labour camps in remote areas of Russia like Siberia.
• brutality faced reinforced resentment of the Tsar’s regime

Question 18

what were the Russian army used for?

Answer 18

• often used to stop rebellions and protests
• eg: strikes that occurred in Rostov in 1902
• allowed the Tsar to restore order

Question 19

size of Russian army

Answer 19

1.5 million troops

Question 20

why was the army’s strength weakened?

Answer 20

• soldiers did not want to be there
• officers were not from military backgrounds so were ineffective in fighting battles
• soldiers were hungry and had to grow their own food

Question 21

what did some members of the Okhrana do that weakened the Tsar’s hold on power?

Answer 21

• they converted to opposition groups and leaked information

- this created more opposition and left the Tsar exposed

Question 22

what was Russification?

Answer 22

Russification restricted the influence of non-Russian national minorities by emphasising the superiority of all things Russian

Question 23

Russification - language

Answer 23

• Russian language was used throughout the Empire and other languages were banned
• communication throughout empire improved and the Tsar could be understood and obeyed

Question 24

Russification - Polish law in 1885

Answer 24

• decreed that all school subjects expect religion and the polish language were to be taught in Russian despite there being over 6 million Poles in Russia
• undermined Tsar’s power as a huge wave of Polish nationalism was created as well as hostility to all things Russian

Question 25

Russification - education

Answer 25

• education was provided in the Russian language

- focused on producing citizens who were loyal to the Tsar

Question 26

Russification - schools in the Baltic states

Answer 26

• placed under control of the Tsar’s military of Education
• many education/administrative roles were given to Russians
• resulted in anger at being replaced by people whose only qualification was being Russian

Question 27

how did political opposition help to keep the Tsar’s grip on power?

Answer 27

• opposition were very divided and did not cooperate
• disagreements within groups such as SDs which split in 1903 into Bolshevik and Menshevik factions
• divisions kept opposition weak and disorganised therefore not being able to affect widespread change