Russia 4 Flashcards
Give 2 responses of ordinary Russians to the start of the Great way, 1914
grief/ mourning
patriotism and the renaming of St Petersburg to Petrograd
At which battle did Russia lose tens of thousands of troops to Germany in August 1914?
Battle of Tannenburg
who did Nicholas II appoint as commander in chief of the Russian army in 1915?
himself
what broke down in WW1 leading to food shortages in cities?
railways
in 1916, where did major uprising begin against the war?
central Asia/ Turkestan
who began protests on 23 Feb, 1917?
women
which military unit defected to the revolution first on the night of Feb 26th?
Volynskii regiment
In January 1905, how many workers marched to the Tsar’s winter palace and led by who?
150,000 led by Father Grigorii Gapon
how many people were killed during bloody sunday and by who?
200, govt troops
how were the Liberals protesting/ opposing the Tsar? (4)
raising demands for a constitutional monarchy
union of Liberation (established in 1903) held a series of banquets around Russia’s cities after outbreak of war in 1904 to discuss political questions
new political party established- the constitutional democrats (kadets)
union of unions formed which gave the Liberal intelligentsia a link to some of Russia’s working class
what did the constitutional democrats campaign for?
a constitutional monarchy and liberal reforms
give 3 examples of middle class unions that were a part of the union of unions
union of writers
union of lawyers
Women’s union for equality
how were the socialists protesting/ opposing the Tsar?
led by socialists, especially Marxists social Democrats but also neo-populist socialist-revolutionaries, working class trade unions began a series of strikes
what was the name of the arson attacks by Peasants against local nobles?
‘red cockerel’
what year did peasant unrest in countryside stop?
1907
what did workers and socialists establish to unite workers from different unions?
soviets (elected councils)
when and where was the largest and most destructive pogrom?
city of Kishinev, 1903
in 1903, what was the wild falsification in the Russian press about Jews called and what did it mean?
“protocols of the Elders of Zion” which claimed to be the minutes of a meeting of world Jewish leaders who were plotting to seize the world + destroy Christian influence
what was the the largest and most destructive pogrom called, taking place in 1903?
Kishinev pogrom
what was set up in 1903 by former Marxist Pyotr Struve?
union of liberation
what new political party was formed by the Liberals in 1905?
constitutional democrats (kadets)
how did the union of Liberation manage to discuss their political ideas?
held a grand meeting to which representatives of Zemstvos were invited. 50 banquets held in Winter of 1904
who founded the socialist revolutionaries?
Viktor Chernov
what did socialist revolutionaries believe should happen?
a revolution should involve and benefit the ‘labouring poor’
many looked towards a form of socialism that would involve peasant communes ruling themselves
what were the 2 types of socialist revolutionaries?
the Minimum party programme group and the maximalists
what was the minimum party programme belief?
since revolution couldnt be made straight away, SRs would have to fight for democratic changes and improve the lives of the labouring poor first
what were the methods of the SRs?
propaganda amongst workers and peasants
accepted the need for revolutionary terrorism
what were the SRs biggest success in 1911?
killing Pyotr Stolypin
how were the SRs opposed?
the Tsarist secret police (Okhrana) infiltrated SR groups arresting and imprisoning many members. (after 1905, 2365 executed)
what did the maximalists believe?
achieving all the SRs aims for socialism in one go
what were the maximalists methods?
advocated terror against ‘exploiting classes’ especially land owners and factory owners.
sabotage- called for peasants and workers to kill their ‘exploiters’
what year was the RSDWP established?
1898
what did the marxists if the RSDWP agree on?
capitalism exploited workers and should be opposed
socialists should help organise workers to fight for more political power
no significant change could occur whilst Nicholas II was on the throne
how was the RSDWP divided?
between mensheviks and bolsheviks
who were the Mensheviks led by?
Julius Martov
what did the Mensheviks believe?
Russia would have to develop a bourgeois democratic system before socialism could take place allowing capitalism to take root replacing the Tsar’s autocracy with a multi-party democracy and within this system, the RSDWP would try to win the support of the workers
who were the Bolsheviks led by?
Vladmir Lenin
what type of party did the Bolsheviks want the RSDWP to become vs what the Mensheviks wanted?
B= vanguard party
M=mass party
what methods did the Bolsheviks adopt?
unappy with the Menshevik ‘bourgeios democracy’ revolution and instead argued that socialists must fight against all oppressors of the workers not just the Tsar but also the capitalists
Which group did Leon Trotsky become an important leader of after leaving the Mensheviks?
the interdistrict group
what was the situation of Liberal opposition after 1905?
-Largely appeased by the Tsar’s concessions during 1905 revolution, especially the October Manifesto and State Duma
what was the situation of socialist opposition after 1905? (5)
-between 1906-10, usually only the better paid skilled workers that survived, unions of lower-skilled and lower paid workers coped less well
-leaders of revolutionary SR and SD parties were arrested and exiled
-new Bolshevik newspaper launched in 1912 called Pravda
-Bolshevik support began to increase amongst workers from 1912 and Bolsheviks began to take control of the largest trade unions
-a wave of terrorism spread across Russia
what was the situation of workers’ opposition after 1905?
-from 1907, a political clampdown by Stolypin made TU activity harder than before and no. of workers strikes quickly declined (1907-12)
-after the 1912, Lena Goldfields massacre, a new wave of strikes broke out
what was the situation of national minorities opposition after 1905?
-faced repression to crush their demands for greater autonomy, between 1906-14, the national movements in Poland =, Finland and other regions in the Russian empire were destroyed
what were Russia’s military problems during the Great war?
despite mobilising 15 million men, Russia’s army proved hopeless in battle. they were sent without proper equipment, clothing, or sufficient weapons. 1914- 2 rifles for every 3 soldiers
How many Russian soldiers died in the Battle of Tannenburg and when did it occur?
tens of thousands, Aug 1914
how many Jews were injured and murdered during the pogrom of Kishinev?
killed= 49
injured= 600
what were the rumours that prompted violence against Jews?
“blood libel”- Jews murdering Christian children to use their blood in passover bread
what was the wild falsification that appeared in the Russian press surrounding Jews?
‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’
what did the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion suggest’?
evidence of a world Jewish conspiracy to take over the world. Meeting of World Jewish leaders who were plotting to seize control of the world and destroy christian influence bu manipulating press, dominating industry + controlling masses at democratic elections
why did the 1905 revolution worsen views of Jewish?
the “protocols’ served as proof of their belief that it was the Jews behind the attempts to destroy the autocracy
