Russia - 2 Features Flashcards
Tsarist Rule in Russia
ran by autocratic system
- ministers chosen by tsar
- army and police swore loyalty
- only one ruler of the romanov family: saw their power as sacred
- no opposition or other political parties, absolute power
- 300 year romanov family rule
General discontent
- 85% peasants
- 44% of the country was russian
- country put russia as priority over other nationalities
- forced to adapt to culture, speak russian, wear their clothing, follow their customs
- Disease and poor working conditions
Political Parties
had different aims for revolution
- SRs did this by assassinating important government ministers
- Boshleviks believed revolution should happen when the time is right
- Menshleviks believed revolution will happen, when Russia is industrialised
were illegal
- Russia ran by autocracy so no opposition or political parties were allowed to be formed
- members were arrested by the Okhrana
- formed secret names to hide from the police
Russo Japanese War
caused by conflict over Manchuria
- Russia wanted Manchuria because they had a port that didn’t freeze over, crucial for trading
- precious raw materials like coal and silver to help industrialized
- Japan wanted Manchuria for expansion
- hhence war started
Russia was defeated
- old fashioned military tactics on sea and on land
- Port Arthur was lost to Japan
- 5000 killed 5000 captured
Bloody Sunday
caused by petition from workers
- 150000 workers carried a petition
- 8h work day
- right to trade unions,
- constitution to guarantee workers rights
- marched to Winter Palace led by Father Gapon, to deliver this to the tsar
was a massacre of protesters
- protesters shouted insult about failures of war
- after 2 warning rounds, troops fired into the crowd
Mounted Cossacks attacked the crowd with whips and swords
-100 killed
1905 Revolution
protests in countryside and cities
- peasant riots
- burnt down landlord houses (3000), killed landlords
- took over land and made communes
- workers
- general strike with 400 000 workers
- joined with liberal middle class
- railway did not function
failed to overthrow the tsar
- middle class called off the general strike, and numbers reduced
- tsar survived and retook the power
- repression: extreme force to stop peasant unrest, arrested political parties, 1000 killed at an attempt revolution by SDs
Potemkin Mutiny
sailors rebelled against their officers
- threw executive officer into the water
- shot others, locked them up
- a socialist committee formed on the Potemkin
- quartermaster Matyushenko took over as chairperson
- meat was full of maggots
- initally loyal / unhappy with how officers had total control
failed to spread within the rest of the Black Sea Fleet
- sailed around Black Sea to avoid recapture
- 1000 killed at riots and protest brought and end through violence
- sunk the ship at Port of Constanta so it couldn’t be found and recaptured
- sailors given asylum
St Petersburg Soviet
it was an important development for revolution, set the idea of resistance
- organised the general strike after it begun
- set up in multiple cities, united the workers
shut down by the Tsar
- used force in December 1905
- leaders arrested after they called for more strikes and argued that they should be armed to defend themselves
Stolypin’s policy of repression
successful in shutting down protests in city
- newspaper and trade unions shut down
- used extreme force and the army to stop any protests
- SD revolution ended up killing 1000
- St Petersburg Soviet leaders arrested
- those arrested would have unfair trials and exiled to Siberia/ executed
failed to stop peasant unrest
- soldiers rode out to villages in countrysides to stop peasant riots
- peasant unrest continued till 1907
- very spread out and spontaneous, difficult
October Manifesto
increased civil rights for Russian people
- right to form trade unions
- political parties
- freedom of speech
- freedom of religion
- a duma to be formed, with elected representatives to form a parliament to propose new laws and policies
Stop rioting within the liberal middle class / achieved its aims
- general strike called off
- wide spread celebrations
- did not truly solve enough specifically but completely squashed discontent
- workers conditions still sucked
Stolypin’s land reform
created to stop peasant riots
- wager on the strong
- make country side ‘safe’
- proposed for peasants to leave communes and set up their own individual farms
- use modern farming methods, keep all the profit from selling their crops
- move to Siberia for more land
- become rich and not protest
failed to achieve its aims
- only 14% of peasants who took up his offer actually set up their enclosed individual farms
- acted as if they were part of a commune
- animals grazed each other’s land
- strips of land belonging to a peasant would be scattered amongst land of other peasants
- 3.5 million moved
- more application than they could handle
Dumas
allowed Russian people to express their views
- different political parties would take part in elections and represent the people
- made of Kadets Trudoviks SRs
- any law would have to be passed and approved by the duma
- government actions supervised
had limited power
- fundamental laws of russia could only be changed by the Tsar
- the Tsar had control over the army
- laws passed could be vetoed by the Tsar
- actions of Duma could be blocked by the State Council, which was chosen by Tsar
- could be dissolved anytime
Duma 1
first elected parliament for Russia
Kadets and Trudoviks participated in the elections
branch of SR + liberal party
had elections to choose representatives
left wing parties did not take part
short lived
Kadets called for State Council to be abolished, Trudoviks supported this
taking land from landlords: would anger the upper class
Stolypin saw this as a threat to tsarism and autocracy
dissolved in December, lasted 10 weeks
Duma 2
extremely left wing
elections took place to form a parliament
SRs and SDs took part in the elections, were very popular
over 202 seats were socialists, who wanted revolution
short lived
the duma called to abolish tsarism
seen as even more radical than Duma 1 by Stolypin, saw this as a threat to autocracy
said it was not representative and made to discredit the tsar as an excuse to dissolve it in June 1907
Duma 3 / 4
change in election rules
elections were rigged so that conservatives who was elected instead of SRs and SDs
Octoborists, middle ground liberals took up over 287 of the seats
supported the tsar
supported and passed all the tsar’s policies
any opposition eg criticism and speeches were too insignificant because outnumbered
no need to shut it down, lasted its full 5 year term
(fourth duma was right wing nationalists)
Lena Goldfields Strike
caused by discontent of miners
forced to eat rotten horsemeat
mass protests
marched to their managers to deliver a list of their demands, such as better working conditions
went on strike, did not work,
with the help of Bolsheviks
massacre happened
200-500 killed
troops fired into the crowd to stop the unrest and put the miners back under control by fear and oppression
hundreds wounded
leaders of strike arrested
World War 1
Russia suffered many military defeats
Battle of Tannenberg: lost 100 000 men, 3000 killed, the rest captured
2M men lost in total
enemies took 3 provinces of Russia, containing coal mining areas
soldiers unarmed whilst enemy had machine guns
only ⅓ soldiers had rifles
was initially supported by the people
were patriotic and proud of their country, faith in the army because they represented the people
taxes raised to pay for the war
duma supported the war
spent more money
Rasputin
Close relationship with Tsarina / control
- Helped Alexie with haemophilia
- Miracle and believed in his mystical abilities
- Believed to be love or an affair between the two
- Intensely grateful
- Cartoons were made
Decisions within war
- Tsarina would relay his messages onto the Tsar
- Influence within the royal family
- Many war and tactical decisions were caused and believed to be a cause of Rasputina
- Fired 3 prime ministers
- Fired many defense ministers
- Blamed for Russian loses
February Revolution
mass protests against the tsar
International women’s day:
protested against food shortages due to requisitioning and rationing
: everyone’s supply was limited
250 000 workers went on strike for food shortages, terrible working conditions
22-25 Feb
the army mutinied
heard about soldiers ordered to shoot 50 people, refused to do the same
broke into the weapons’ store, 30 000 revolvers, 40 000 rifles
released political prisoners, broke into prisons
joined the workers, 150 000 soldiers mutinied
shot their officers
The army mutiny
rebellion against their officers
heard about soldiers ordered to shoot 50 people, refused to do the same
broke into the weapons’ store, 30 000 revolvers, 40 000 rifles
released political prisoners, broke into prisons
joined the workers, 150 000 soldiers mutinied
shot their officers
marked the end of tsarism
when 150 000 soldiers joined up with 250 000 workers, 400 000 protestors in total
the police could not face this many protests
if more were brought in, they may mutiny
soldiers were tired from WW1
Nicholas could not control this
The abdication of the tsar
started when the army mutinied
when 150 000 soldiers joined up with 250 000 workers, 400 000 protestors in total
the police could not face this many protests
if more were brought in, they may mutiny
marked the end of tsarism
tsar abdicated in favour of his brother grand duke Michael
a civil war would start if tsarism were to continue
michael did not want to be tsar
complete end to autocracy
The Provisional Government
made of remaining duma members
made up of 12 duma deputies from the fourth duma
other duma deputies fled in fear of tsar getting revenge
Prince Lvov, a well known liberal as their leader
temporary
promised to be in power until elections for a constituent assembly would be held,
power would be passed over then -> allow people of Russia to have representation in the government
did not introduce any reforms because they believed it wasn’t their role
6 months
April Theses
set out Lenin’s views and promises to the people
end cooperation with the PG
end the war
nationalisation of all land, all wealth owned by one state bank
abolish police, army, bureaucracy
appealed to all parts of society
peace land bread - peasants, people in cities
all power to soviets - workers
simple slogans made it easy even if they were not very educated, clear message
June Offensive
it aimed to increase popularity of the provisional government
a major offence to the enemy in WW1
if they succeeded, it would be a huge victory and help boost army morale and confidence to continue fighting
prove that the army and the war was going well under the provisional government’s control
it failed to achieve its aims
the army was not disciplined as soldiers were part of the Petrograd soviet
Russian front collapsed, front lines pushed back hundreds of kilometres
embarrassment and weakened the PG
July Days
an uprising against the provisional government
started when anarchist revolutionaries convinced soldiers to join an anti-government demonstration
bolsheviks joined after some consideration that PG could be overthrown like the tsar, soldiers + workers
carried banners and used slogans “all power to the soviets”
it did not succeed
did not have the support of the Petrograd soviet, made of mensheviks
Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government worked together to disperse the crowds
troops brought back from war
aided by the terrible weather that didn’t allow protestors to stay out long
lenin fled, bolsheviks arrested, including trotsky