R1 - Tsar's Grip on Power Flashcards
population of Russia in the late 1880s
100 million
how much of the globe did the Russian empire cover
a sixth
what did the fundamental laws state about the Tsar
he had supreme and unlimited power
the statue of state security
- 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
university statue of 1887
- govt had control over what was taught in universities
- anything considered revolutionary or anti-tsarist was banned
what did the university statue cause?
- it angered students which led to protests in St. Petersburg and Moscow
- people were beginning to resent against the Tsar’s authority.
what happened to those who were believed to be circulating revolutionary pamphlets/ banned books?
they were dealt with by the Okhrana and therefore controlling anti-tsarist opinions
which groups of people resented censorship?
- students
- the increasingly literate working class
- the liberal intelligentsia
how did the Tsar being the head of the church allow him to keep a secure grip on power?
- 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.
why did some revolutionaries become unhappy with the church?
-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.
what happened to those who followed a different religion?
-it became a criminal offence to abandon the orthodox religion and those who followed other religions were persecuted severely
why were priests often not respected by peasants?
- they thought they were corrupt and hypocritical
- the church became less respected during the rule of Nicholas II
when was the Okhrana formed?
in 1881 after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II
who were the cossacks?
- 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
methods of the Okhrana
extreme methods such as:
- espionage
- court surveillance
- torture
why were the Okhrana’s methods effective in maintaining the Tsar’s grip on power?
- 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
labour camps
- 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
what were the Russian army used for?
- often used to stop rebellions and protests
- eg: strikes that occurred in Rostov in 1902
- allowed the Tsar to restore order
size of Russian army
1.5 million troops
why was the army’s strength weakened?
- 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
what did some members of the Okhrana do that weakened the Tsar’s hold on power?
- they converted to opposition groups and leaked information
- this created more opposition and left the Tsar exposed
what was Russification?
Russification restricted the influence of non-Russian national minorities by emphasising the superiority of all things Russian
Russification - language
- Russian language was used throughout the Empire and other languages were banned
- communication throughout empire improved and the Tsar could be understood and obeyed
Russification - Polish law in 1885
- 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
Russification - education
- education was provided in the Russian language
- focused on producing citizens who were loyal to the Tsar
Russification - schools in the Baltic states
- 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
how did political opposition help to keep the Tsar’s grip on power?
- 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
