Russia 1894-1941 Flashcards
What was russification and what was its aim?
Russification restricted the influence of non Russian national minorities with in the empire by emphasising all things Russian. Its aim was to impose Russian ways and values on all the people within the empire
What were the implications of Russification?
Russian declared as official language causing all legal proceedings to be performed in Russian.
Discrimination was more open and vindictive.
Over 600 new polices introduced to pose heavy social, political & economic restrictions on the 5 million strong Jewish population
Jews lived in Ghettos and suffered from Pogroms(fierce violent attacks) Russification and therefore Tsardom actively encouraged this. Group called “black hundreds” were notorious for Pogroms.
How did Russification impact Tsarism?
Policy alienated half of Russia’s population. This led to large pockets of anti-tsarist minorites forming across the
empire and many people joined political parties or just developed a hatred of Tsardom.
Jewish Bund formed in 1897: this was a Jewish anti-tsarist movement
What social problems in Russia did the Tsar encounter in 1894?
Massive population growth– quadrupled from 40 to 165m between 1815 and 1914
4/5 population peasants
Class divisions
Some attempts at reform before Nicholas II, peasants
given freedom and access to land under Alexander II
(1855-81), but were unhappy about the quality and quantity of land
Peasants were controlled by village councils (the mir) headed by village elders.
Urbanisation had started and industrial workforce growing.
What economic problems in Russia did the Tsar encounter in 1894?
Slow pace of industrialisation compared with Europe
Cottage industries & small-scale businesses
Infrastructure is under-developed
Emancipation Decree (1861) offered peasants chance to buy land, but this was too costly
Strip system of farming
What Geographical problems in Russia did the Tsar encounter in 1894?
Massive country - 8 million square miles.
Limited farmland - most of land is infertile
lack of transport meant there was geographical immobility.
What Empire problems in Russia did the Tsar encounter in 1894?
Most people lived in European Russia
with many moving to main cities of St
Petersburg and Moscow.
Wide social & ethnic mix, e.g. Ukrainians , Poles, Germans, Finns etc- with their own languages, religions and cultures.
National minority groups posed a threat to the tsars as most want independence.
What Religious problems in Russia did the Tsar encounter in 1894?
Russian Orthodox (Christian) Church very conservative body supporting authority of the tsar. Church appears more detached from wants and needs of an expanding urban population.
What Foreign relations problems in Russia did the Tsar encounter in 1894
19th C = Russia feared by the West; expansionist intentions were seen as threatening. Wanted to exert authority in the Caucasus region.
What was the significance of the Emancipation of the serfs?
Russian serfdom was very close to outright slavery in the serfs could be bought and sold, gambled away,
and punished by their masters. Thus, the serfs were emancipated in 1861.
To what extent did the Poles pose a threat to the tsar?
Substantial extent - As a result of industrialisation in Poland, a distinct proletariat emerged that showed an
interest in Marxism. Also of prominence were
nationalists who formed the National Democrats
group. Polish politicians elected from these
parties went on to make important contributions
to the first and second Dumas.
To what extent did the Ukrainians pose a threat to the tsar?
significant extent - Although nationalism was not the same force as it was in Poland, the Ukrainians looked to build a separate cultural identity, as reflected in literature
and the arts in general. In response the tsar
continued the policy of Russification.
To what extent did the Finns pose a threat to the tsar?
Moderate extent - The appointment by Nicholas II of Nikolai Bobrikov as
Governor General marked a change in fortune for the
Finns. Under Bobrikov, Finland was fully integrated into
the Russian Empire and Russified. This provoked much
opposition and, as a result, in 1905 Finland was given full autonomy. But this was quickly reneged on by Stolypin in the same year.
To what extent did the Caucasians pose a threat to the tsar?
Limited extent - Caucasus region was divided in religious lines Armenian Christians and Chechens and Muslims.
These divisions, coupled with the high level of illiteracy in the region, made Russification relatively easy.
Nevertheless, Populist movements (such as the
Dashnaks and the Georgian Mensheviks) emerged
to oppose Nicholas II’s repressive measures.
To what extent did the Jews pose a threat to the tsar?
Limited extent - Jews never seemed to pose much direct opposition to Nicholas II. It was a perceived threat that resulted in them being treated so badly. Nicholas II continued the anti-Jewish position taken by his father. Jews were accused of being ‘revolutionaries’ as some were affiliated to the SDs (and there was indeed a separate Jewish SD Party called the Band). Despite Nicholas’ dislike of Jews, he made some important concessions by allowing them to sit on the Duma.
