Russia

Question 1

When was the first Duma?

Answer 1

April- June 1906
•Largest elected groups – Trudoviks – socialists, Kadets
•Made 321 requests against what they saw as illegal government action – 2 were passed
•Dissolved by the Tsar after 72 days

Question 2

When was the second Duma?

Answer 2

February – June 1907
•Number of kadets halved (Vyborg manifesto) – SR’s and SD’s gained seats
•Under Stolypin land reform was passed
•Sharply criticized the army and after 3 months the Duma was dissolved

Question 3

When was the third Duma?

Answer 3

November 1907 – June 1912
•The election was restricted to only the wealthy – excluding most reformers.
•Stolypin used this to push more land reforms

Question 4

When was the fourth Duma?

Answer 4

November 1912-August 1914
•Stolypin replaced by Kokovtsov
•Conservative

Question 5

What was the Vybourg Manifesto?

Answer 5

•A group set up by some members of the Duma persuading people to resist the Tsar through not paying taxes

Question 6

Where the Dumas a success?

Answer 6

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Question 7

who was Stolypin?

Answer 7

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Question 8

What was Russia’s initial response to WW1?

Answer 8

• At first the country was full of patriotism/ rallying behind the Tsar
• August 1914, Russian advanced causing troops to be diverted to the east instead of France

Question 9

What happened later in the war? (1915)

Answer 9

• Battle of Tannenburg – Germans won a crushing defeat over Russia – 30,000 Russian troops killed or wounded and 95,000 captured – Samsonov shot himself rather than tell the Tsar
• By the end 0f 1915 Russian forces had been completely driven out of Germany
• Brusilov offensive – initial success until momentum ran out – poor commanding/ organistaion of equipment
• By Christmas 1916 1.6 million were dead, 3.9 million wounded and 2.4 million had been captured

Question 10

What did the Tsar do in september 1915?

Answer 10

•The Tsar took command as the commander-in-chief of the army, September 1915 – leaving the Tsarina running the country

Question 11

What impact did WW1 have on Russia’s economy?

Answer 11

• Cost of fighting and maintaining a large force put strains on the government – national budget rose eightfold between 1913-1916 – more money was printed which increased inflation
• Loss of agriculture workers and horses put pressure on food production – food shortages – no transport to cities

Question 12

What organisations tried to help with the war organisation?

Answer 12

Progressive Bloc - members of the duma
War industries committee - factory owners
ZEMGOR - local

Question 13

What was Rasputin’s role?

Answer 13

• Believe to be able to heal the Tsarevich of haemophilia – influence with the Tsarina “the German Bitch”
• Murdered in December 1916 by a group of nobles who hoped it would aid the war effort

Question 14

What were the Petrograd demonstrations? 1917

Answer 14

• 9th January 14000 workers went on strike - anniversary of bloody Sunday
• Strikes and protest on 14th/23rd(international women’s day)/24th of February - people sharing story’s
• The police arrested workers group, all newspapers were shut down and public transport ceased

Question 15

What happened at the end of Feburary 1917 which was the turning point of the revoliution?

Answer 15

• Turning point of the revolution – 25th February Cossack troops refused to fire on demonstrations – the next day they did but elite Guards refused orders
The government dissolved the state duma however a 12-man committee the Provisional Government was formed
28th of February the Tsar telegrammed the state duma offering to share power but they refused
1st March workers soviets joined to form the Petrograd Soviet

Question 16

How did the Tsars abdication happen?

Answer 16

• Boarded a train in an attempt to get back to Petrograd. 2nd of March his train was stopped at Pskov and was visited by members of the state duma.
• The Tsar agreed to abdicate for himself and his son passing the throne to his brother he refused the offer

Question 17

What political problems did the provisional government face in March 1917?

Answer 17

•Dominated by octoberists and kadets (minority party). Petrograd soviet/ All-Russia soviet, dual authority – Army orders 1 army order 2

Question 18

What problems did the provisional government face in terms of WW1?

Answer 18

• Army morale was low, mutinies, Western allies hoped this would commit fighting - Continue loaning money
• Continuation brought conflict with the soviet - address to the peoples of the whole world declaring peace without annexations and indemnities on 14th of March 1917 – only continue the war to stop Germany taking over- demonstrations against war in April leading to resignation of Milyukov and the war minister Guchkov in early may

Question 19

What did the army orders say?

Answer 19

Order 1 - the Petrograd soviet has to agree to all orders made by the provisional government

Question 20

What was the June offensive?

Answer 20

campaign to improve morale and fighting
16th June – attack in Lvov, western Ukraine and for two days troops started to advance – 18th June counter-attacks led to mass desertions by the Russian troops. In one night 12,000 deserters were caught and reports of firing at own officers – Russian army began to collapse – lead to July days

Question 21

What problems did the provisional government face in terms of the countryside?

Answer 21

Peasants began to take their own land – violence with land owners – after June offensive troops returned to assist with land redistribution
The government lack authority in the country
No reform was passed

Question 22

explain Lenin’s return to Russia

Answer 22

•Received permission from the German government to travel in a sealed train across enemy land and arrived in Petrograd on the 3rd of April - he addressed the crowd from his train demanding an immediate social revolution – later published as the “April Thesis”

Question 23

What was the April thesis

Answer 23

• Lenin’s returning ideas
• Realised war was unpopular and that there was no opportunity for the Bolsheviks to participate with the provisional government
• “all power to the soviets”
• “peace, bread and land” - popular in a country exhausted by war and food shortages

Question 24

What impact did Lenin’s return have?

Answer 24

• 21st April - mass demonstrations, Bolsheviks central committee issued an order to send agitators to factories to whip up support - demonstrations were easily dispersed by police
• 9th June - tried to exploit the unpopularity of renewed fighting but failed to win support

Question 25

What happened in the July Days?

Answer 25

• Monday 2nd July – a regimental concert for soldiers turned into an anti-government rally
• Tuesday 3rd July – the first machine gun regiment were sent to factories in Petrograd to appeal for an uprising- – brought the provisional government and soviet together – saw Bolsheviks as a threat to authority
• Wednesday 4th July – demonstrations continued – 50,000 armed people waited for an order at the Tauride palace- by evening a thunderstorm caused the crowd to disperse
• Thursday 5th July – loyal troops front the front were sent to restore orders – late afternoon the central committee of the Bolshevik party called off the demonstrations
• Friday 6th July –troops surrounded the Bolsheviks HQ – 500 Bolsheviks were arrested – Lenin had fled the country in disguise
• New provisional Government was formed under Kerensky with an increase in representation from the All-Russia soviet

Question 26

How did the July Days affect the Bolsheviks?

Answer 26

• Helped unite the Petrograd soviet and the provisional government against the Bolsheviks
• Lenin was accused of being a German spy, high treason ad branded a traitor
• Bolshevik leaders were in prison or on the run

Question 27

What was the Kornilov affair?

Answer 27

• Russia in chaos – peasants seizing land, soldiers deserting
• 18th July Brusilov was dismissed as a commander-in-chief after failed June offensive – replaced by general Lavr Kornilov
• Kornilov ordered Russian troops to Petrograd on the 24th of August due to concerns about a possible left-wing radical plot against the government
• The prime minister Kerensky feared a military takeover and ordered the arrest of Kornilov and armed groups of worker (many Bolsheviks) and released many Bolshevik prisoners

Question 28

What was the affect of the Kornilov affair?

Answer 28

•Support for the provisional government fell – looked very weak and made the Bolsheviks look strong – being relied on – defenders of Petrograd

Question 29

Why did the Bolsheviks gain support before the October revolution?

Answer 29

• After Kornilov affair Bolsheviks were seen as the defenders of the revolution
• “Peace, bread and land” – built up support from workers and peasants
• Had acquired arms during the affair and now had an elite force of “Red Guards”

Question 30

Why was the timing of the October revolution so important?

Answer 30

• Lenin was aware that in the constituent election the social revolutionaries were likely to win so had to seize power before these elections
• By the end of September the Bolsheviks had a majority of seats in the Petrograd Soviet
• 10th October Lenin persuaded the committee that an armed take over should take place and planning was handed to Leon Trotsky
• Lenin hoped to hide Bolshevik involvement by handing planning to the military revolutionary of the Petrograd soviet

Question 31

How did the Bolsheviks seize power?

Answer 31

• 24th October provisional government attempted to close Bolshevik newspapers in Petrograd – that evening Lenin arrive at HQ to put his plan in action because he feared that the PG was trying to clamp down Bolshevik activity
• The MRC of the soviet under Trotsky would seize the capital and say so on behalf of the soviet
• Evening of 24th MCR and Red Guards occupied key areas in Petrograd and arrested the provisional government – minimal resistance
• At 10am 25th the MRC announced that power was with the Petrograd soviet – Kerensky escaped in a car

Question 32

Why did the Bolsheviks succeed in the October revolution?

Answer 32

• Changing circumstances – Kornilov affair = pivotal moment- made provisional government look weak
• The timing of the uprising – claimed to be acting for the soviet – efficient takeover
• The weakness of the provisional government – failed to tackle pressing issues – did try to regain control with the use of Cossack troops but were put down by red guards

Question 33

What three problems did the Bolsheviks face after October ?

Answer 33

Ending the war????
Forming an government
The constituent assembly

Question 34

How did the Bolsheviks deal with the problem of WW1?

Answer 34

an armistice was agreed in December 1917, 22nd a Bolshevik peace negotiation began at Brest-Litovsk – 3rd March in the treaty of Brest-Livovsk war with Germany ended – Russia lost 1/3 of its population and agriculture and half its industry

Question 35

How did the Bolsheviks deal with the problem of forming a government?

Answer 35

Bolsheviks didn’t have any experience – situation made worse by government officials going on strike and the state bank refusing to release any funds. Lenin ensured that the soviets passed 3 decrees while the Bolsheviks held a majority(land- confiscated all private land and give to the peasants, peace – immediate stop to the war, set up the new government “sovnrkom”

Question 36

How did the Bolsheviks deal with the problem of the constituent assembly?

Answer 36

postponed until November 12 1917 where the SR’s where the largest elected party. Met on the 5th of January, disagreements led to the Bolsheviks and left SR’s leaving the assembly was shut down by the Red Guards – success because other parties were split

Question 37

Who was the opposition in the Civil War?

Answer 37

• Counter revolutionary forces who wanted to return to the days of the Tsar or provisional government – White forces – began under the leadership of General Kornilov but after his death General Deniken took charge
• In an attempt to keep Russia in the war allies sent forces to fight with the whites, many European countries saw communist Russia as a threat
• Prisoners of war of Czech and Slovak origin wanted to create their own national state – 1918 the legion of 40,000 travelled intending to be involved in the war with Germany came into conflict with the reds. The communists executed the Tsar so he didn’t get into the hands of the legion

Question 38

What campaigns did the Whites launch in 1919?

Answer 38

• Kolchak’s campaign – assault from the east with 30,000 troops. By April armies had advanced 200 miles and captured some cities. The red armies launched a counter attack persuading some Kolack’s soldiers to switch sides by July Kolack forced had been pushed back
• Deniken’s campaign – army based in the south-east. Initially agreed to help Kolchak’s campaign but changed his mind and went to fight the reds in Donbass – didn’t have enough troops to fight such a large front
• Yudenich’s campaign – launched an attack on Petrograd in October 1919. Support had dried up after previous battles. Trotsky intervened personally rounding up retreating troops to lead them to battle

Question 39

What was the Russo-Polish war?

Answer 39

1920-1921
•1919 polish forces entered Ukraine and captured Kiev – the communists attacked and the poles retreated
•1920 the red army reached the gates of Warsaw before being defeated – biggest red defeat in the civil war

Question 40

What were the red strengths in the civil war?

Answer 40

•Strong central leadership under Lenin
•War communism – control war production
Grain requisitioning – able to feed the cities
•Establishment of the Checka
•Trotsky – 1918 founded the red army by recruiting officers from the Tsarist army but kept their families hostage to ensure loyalty – toured the front line in an armoured train checking units and delivering speeches

Question 41

What were the whites weaknesses in the civil war?

Answer 41

• Divided aims – not willing to help each other and didn’t organize simultaneous attacks
• Some fought among themselves
• Peasants didn’t want to fight for the Tsar to come back – land taken away

Question 42

Why did geography affect the civil war?

Answer 42

• Reds dominated the heartlands of Russia – factories, resources
• Transport – railway to distribute food, supplies and troops to the front – communication

Question 43

What did Lenin do to transform the society and economy 1917-18?

Answer 43

2nd December 1917 Lenin created the Supreme council of National economy – Vensenkha – to offer central control
•14th December army used to take over the banks
•21st of January 1918 declared that all foreign debts to the Tsar and Provisional government would not be paid – all landowners lost their estate
•“state capitalism” – worker control in factories, set own hours
•War communism was introduced with the arrival of civil war

Question 44

What was war communism?

Answer 44

• Economy ran by a supreme economic council - Vesenkha
• Nationalised industry – by 1920 37,000 businesses had been nationalised
• Private trade banned
• Grain seized from peasants
• Use of money replaced with rationing
• Use of terror/slave labour to get goods

Question 45

What impact did war communism have on Russia?

Answer 45

Allowed the communists to win the civil war, allowed concentration on production of weapons and military equipment
•1917-1920 over half the urban working population disappeared – civil war/famine or returning to villages
1921 high famine – peasants didn’t produce surplus grain, war, drought – death of 1-2 million

Question 46

Why was the New Economic Policy introduced?

Answer 46

Economic situation – meltdown, war communism had created peasant uprisings across the country. The first signs of a major famine were appearing.
Growing opposition – concern about increasing central control, particular unease over Trotsky’s plan to expand service beyond the red army to a civilian work force. The Mensheviks were increasing their support in local soviets. At the same time workers opposition was developing

Question 47

What was the Konstradt rebellion 1921?

Answer 47

• The group that had been Lenin’s biggest supporters in October 1917 had become disillusioned with Lenin’s rule. By March 1921 a large proportion were conscripted Ukrainians.
• Open rebellion against Lenin’s regime was put down by Trotsky. Using the Red Army he attacked the naval base by crossing the frozen sea. Over three weeks rebels were killed or sent to the gulags – forced-labour camps

Question 48

What happened at the Tenth congress meeting in March 1921?

Answer 48

• Lenin announced the end of war communism – it had only been a temporary measure for the civil war and would be replaced with the NEP.
• Lenin announced this was a “tactical retreat” in order to preserve communist Russia

Question 49

What was the NEP?

Answer 49

Requisitioning was abandoned and instead peasants only had to give part of their produce to the government and they had to pay tax. 
NEPmen – a new class of private traders 
A new currency was introduced in 1922 to bring down the high inflation

Question 50

What was the impact of the NEP on Russia?

Answer 50

• Markets returned to towns and cities, more goods available – famine disappeared - Peasants began cultivating more land and livestock numbers increase.
• Sparked the “scissor crisis” (gap between agricultural and industrial prices) – agricultural prices fell but production rose but industrial prices rose
• Many communists accused the NEP of encouraging greed, independence and self-interest