Repression and Reform (1906-1914)

Question 1

Who was granted the right to vote in the electoral laws of December 1905?

Answer 1

All men over the age of 25

Question 2

Which social groups were excluded from voting?

Answer 2

Peasants could only indirectly vote, nominating someone to vote on their behalf.

Some social groups were excluded altogether, including:
- Factory workers from factories that employed less than 50 people
- Construction workers
- Casual tradesmen
- Women
- Soldiers

Question 3

Who replaced Sergei Witte as prime minister?

Answer 3

Alexei Goremykin

Question 4

What were the names of Russia’s upper house and lower houses of parliament?

Answer 4

Upper house
- State Council
Lower house
- State Duma

Question 5

Briefly explain how the fundamental laws restricted the legislative authority of the Duma and reasserted the Tsar’s absolute authority.

Answer 5

The Fundamental Laws were issued on 23 Apr 1906, which state that the Tsar still holds absolute power, and all laws would require his approval. He also had the ability to dismiss the Duma without reprecussions.

This limited the ability of the Duma to influence legislation, as the Tsar was still bent on an autocratic regime and was not open to new ideas.

Question 6

On what date were the Fundamental Laws passed?

Answer 6

23 April 1906

Question 7

Which Article of the Fundamental Laws allowed the Tsar to legislate on his own and dismiss the Duma

Answer 7

Article 87

Question 8

When did the First Duma open?

Answer 8

27 April 1906

Question 9

Which political party held the most seats in the First Duma?

Answer 9

Kadets (37%)

Question 10

What was the largest social group represented in the first Duma?

Answer 10

Peasants (38%)

Question 11

How many days did the first Duma last before it was dissolved?

Answer 11

73 days

Question 12

Which two popular movements participated in the elections to the Second Duma?

Answer 12

SR’s and SD’s.

Question 13

Describe the similarities and differences between the First and Second Dumas.

Answer 13

Similarities
- They both openly criticized the governing powers and were dissolved for it.

Differences
- While the First Duma contained more Kadets, the Second Duma was more radical, containing both SR’s and SD’s.

Question 14

Briefly explain the changes that were made to the electoral laws in June 1906.

Answer 14

• Voting was suspended in districts where, according to the Tsar, had not ‘reached sufficient levels of civic development’. The areas lacking in ‘civic development’ were also often the areas that elected more radical deputies.
• The number of deputies from peasant, working class, national minority or small landowningbackgrounds significantly decreased.
• The number of deputies from landed gentry backgrounds (rich) significantly increased.
• Only 1 in 6 men were allowed to vote. (1% voting for 300 of 441 elected deputies)

Question 15

How did the Third Duma differ from the First and Second?

Answer 15

It was more conservative than the previous two Dumas, and was more supportive of the government.

Question 16

Which significant Tsarist official was assassinated Spet 1911?

Answer 16

Prime Minister Stolypin.

Question 17

How many miners were killed in the Lena Goldfields Massacre? What was this event compared to?

Answer 17

500 were killed
The event was compared to Bloody Sunday

Question 18

Briefly outline the rise in industrial unrest during this period.

Answer 18

The Lena Goldfields Massacre on 12 Apr 1912 rekindled the radical workers’ movement. Over the next 2 years, over 3 million workers staged over 9000 strikes.

In 1911, they had 24 strikes where political demands were made, however in 1914, the strikes had increased to 2400.

On the eve of WW1, workers set up barricades in St Petersburg and Moscow.

Question 19

How did the Tsarist regime respond to this rising unrest?

Answer 19

The ‘Years of Reaction’, as this period of time was called saw rising industrial unrest met with increasingly harsh repression.

Question 20

How did the Tsarist regime respond to this rising unrest?

Answer 20

The ‘Years of Reaction’, as this period of time was called saw rising industrial unrest met with increasingly harsh repression.

Question 21

What were Stolypin’s guiding principles in addressing the challenges facing the Tsarist regime?

Answer 21

‘suppression first, and then, only then, reform’.

Question 22

What was the popular phrase used to describe Stolypin’s methods of repression?

Answer 22

Hangman’s noose became ‘Stolypin’s necktie’

Question 23

How many people were executed by Stolypin’s military tribunals between 1906 and 1913?

Answer 23

about 3376 people executed

Question 24

Briefly explain how Stolypin’s agricultural reforms aimed to reduce popular discontent in the countryside.

Answer 24

Stolypin issued land reform through executive decree. He abolished the much-hated redemption payments, providing the peasants with immediate short-term relief. He then turned his attention to lang shortages, poverty, and rural overpopulation.

Stolypin hoped to create an independent middle class of landowners that would be loyal conservative supporters of the government.

Under Stolypin’s system, peasants were allowed to leave their village (or mir), and consolidate their strip farms into larger plots of land. Affordable loans were made available from a Land Bank for those who met the government’s eligibility criteria.

Peasants could also sell their share of the formally communal land to raise additional funds.

The government also encouraged people to migrate to Siberia, where land is cheap. 2 million peasants emigrated to Siberia to set up private farm, while a further 3 million peasants accepted government assistance.

Question 25

Comment on the extent to which Stolypin’s program was a success.

Answer 25

The results of Stolypin’s agricultural reforms were mixed. Stolypin admitted that his plans were long-term and would take 20-25 years to see the desired results.

Some peasants were hostile to the reforms, unwilling to change from the traditional methods of farming. Very few peasants qualified for financial assistance and only 10 % of the rural population.

Overall, Stolypin’s reforms redistributed landholdings instead of expanding them. It did not address the immediate concern of rural poverty and forced many peasants to find work in cities.