Russia Flashcards
1
Q
Russia in 1853
A
- Population
- Under 50% were ‘Russian’
- Cultural/Ethnic disputes - Leadership
- Nicholas I (up to 1855) - Economy
- Serf-based
- Backward
- Agriculturally based - Geography
- Huge land mass
- Extreme conditions - Society
- Serfdom (Ownership/Slavery)
- 90% Peasantry
- Conscription
2
Q
The Emancipation of the Serfs (1861-1865)
A
- For
- Stopping Urban/industrial development
- Economy wasn’t helped by Serfs
- Morality: Human rights violated
- Social reform after Crimean War
- Self- sufficiency of peasants
- Improvements to military
- Peasant uprisings - Against
- Further demands?
- Social gap
- Disrupt economy
- Next step after emancipation
- Debt to landowners
- Reactions to defeat in Crimea
- Tradition - Consequences
- Land prices rose
- Increase in laborers in the cities
- Redemption payments
3
Q
The Crimean War: What was it?
A
- 1854-1856
- Britain, France, Austria, Ottoman Empire vs Russia
- Black Sea / Ukraine
4
Q
The Crimean War: Causes
A
- Russian expansion into the East
- Defend Ottoman invasion
- Religion
- Orthodox vs Islam
5
Q
The Crimean War: Consequences
A
- Russia = Backwards
- Industrially
- Weapons!
- Transport - Reputation
- Military supplies
- Tsar Leadership: Nicholas I - Alexander II - Treaty of Paris
6
Q
The Crimean War: Turning Point?
A
- Political
- New Tsar - Society
- Serfdom
Economic
- Development in industry
7
Q
Alexander II: Growth in Opposition
A
- Turning Point:
- 1866
- First attempt on the life of the Tsar by Dmitry Karakozov from a student group - Reasons for Opposition
- Focus on bottom end of society
- Angering
- Exposure to ‘liberal’ ideas
- Too much, too soon - Slavophile
- Too little, too late - Westerniser
8
Q
Alexander II: Types of Opposition
A
- Opposition
- Intelligensia
- Socialist
- Land and Liberty
- ‘Hell’ - Nihilist
- The Organisation (1866) - Reaction
- Education
- Tolstoy Reforms
- Censorships
- Traditional curriculum
- Law Courts
- Trials
9
Q
The Crisis of the 1870s
A
- 1870:
- ‘Tchaikovsky’ Circle
- Lavrov - Populist, ‘Land and Liberty’ - Narodniks
- Plekhanov - Peasant Communes - War with Turkey
- 1877-1879 - Assassination attempts
- Vera
- Murder but escapes - 1880:
- Loris, Melikov (Internal affairs) - Reforms - 1881:
- Assassination of Alexander II (1855-1881)
10
Q
Reforms of Alexander II
A
- Military
- Conscription reforms
- Service members evaluated
- Corporal punishment ends - Local Government
- Zemstva
- Local Governments
- Mir
- Peasant Village Communities - The Law
- Maintain Tsarist authority
- Creation of the Zemstva
- Seemed like the Tsar was loosening control
11
Q
Alexander III: Political repression
A
- Increase state power
- 1881 Statute of State security
- Okhrana extended
- Stop revolutionary groups
- Assassination of father
- Russification - Reduced freedom of peasants
- March 1883: Increased power of Bolshek
- Harder for peasants to leave their Mir.
- 1893: Banned from leaving
- Land Captains
- Controlling the Mir was the best way to maintain control in the countryside - Religion
- More power to religion
- Influence of Pobedonostsev
- Pogroms Education
- Tsar’s motto was: “Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality” - Education
- Restriction of Universities / Schools - Judicial system
- Government controlled trials
- Closed trials and executions
- Obtain more control of the people
12
Q
Opposition against Alexander III
A
- Populism (The People’s will):
- 1890s: Veterans of Populist movement return from exile
- Populist movement considered a failure
- 1886: The People’s Will is reformed among students
- Rural - Liberalism:
- ‘Trickle down’
- Moderate / individuals
- Seeking moderate reform and moral regeneration
- Flourished in Zemstva and Dumas
- Outdated nature of Tsarism
- Own initiative to address social issues
- Work of Zemstva during famine highlighted incompetence of Tsarist Government - Marxism:
- Emancipation of Labour: Marxist Revolutionary group
- Started by four ex-populists
- Russia’s position in relation to Marxist theory
- Propaganda and agitation
- Marxist-Socialist party - Proletarian revolution
- Urban
13
Q
Positives and Negatives of Alexander III
A
- Positives
- Economic growth
- Foreign influence
- ‘Open up Russia’
- State ownership
- French loan - stability
- Working conditions (Employment)
- Increase in workers (1m to 3m) - Negatives
- Emigration
- Starvation
- Decline of living standards
- Poor working conditions
- Poverty
- Opposition
- Temporary exposure to more libertarian thoughts
14
Q
Alexander III: Economy
A
- Based on reduction in imports
- Imposition of tariffs - Increase in exports
- Railway lines made it cheaper
- Grain exports meant peasants had no supply for the winter
- “We ourselves shall not eat, but we shall export” - Increasing indirect taxation
- Negotiating foreign loans
- Peasants faced growth in indirect taxation while not being able to pay for food
- Grain exports meant peasants had no supply for the winter
- Overall economic growth
- Government revenue increase from 1861-1913
15
Q
Alexander III: Industry
A
- Witte, Minister of Finance
- Cities
- Kiev doubled in size - Employment Procedure 1886
- Increase in productivity and conditions
- Steel and iron
- Increase in workers (1m to 3m)
16
Q
Alexander III: Foreign Investments
A
- Gold Standard
- Welsh Miners
- French loans
17
Q
Alexander III: Minsters
A
- Bunge: Railways
- Witte: Gold Standard
- Vyshnegradsky: Exports and Foreign investments
18
Q
Alexander III: Propaganda
A
- “Prosperous Peasantry”
- Exhibitions and training
19
Q
Alexander III: Taxation
A
- Increase taxation and redemption
- Vyshnegradsky
- Forced to sell grain for lowest price
- Semi-state of servitude
20
Q
Alexander III: Railways
A
- Buying private companies
- 14k km to 53k km
- Communication and exports
- Trans-Siberian Railways
- St. Petersburg to Vladivostok
21
Q
Beginning of Tsar Nicholas II’s reign (1894)
A
- Marxists:
- Lenin creates Union for the Liberation of the Working Class
- 1898: First congress of new Russian SD party - unify groups
- Lenin and Plekhanov create the Iskra (Political Newspaper)
- 1902: ‘What is to be done?’ Importance of the SD party
- July 1903: Split of the SD (Bolsheviks and Mensheviks) - Populists:
- 1890s: ‘The People’s will’ return from exile
- Great famine helps inspire interests
- 1901: Establishment of Social Revolutionaries
- Non-Marxist favoured decentralised workers cooperatives rather than industrialisation
- Riots in Countryside
- Assassinations - Liberalists:
- Based in the Zemstva
- 1896: First annual congress of Zemstva Presidents held
- 1902: Formed Union of Liberation, in Germany to unite the opposition
- 1904: Refounded the Union in St. Petersburg
22
Q
Pyotr Stolypin
A
- Chief Minister (1907)
- Reactionary counter-terror
- Ruthless provisonal governor
- Prepared to use violence to deal with opposition
- 1,000 death sentences - Agriculture reform
- Reform was essential
- Prosperous peasants - Reform measures
- Redemption payments to the Mir were cancelled
- Peasants gained free ownership of their land
- Option to leave the Mir
- Individual land owners
- Capitalist Peasants (Kulaks) - independence
23
Q
Pyotr Stolypin: Successes and Failures
A
- Successes
- Agricultural production increased - record harvests (1913)
- More to do with the weather and output was lower than Western standards
- 24% of households owned their own
- By 1914 1/3 of peasants had left the Mir
- 1.5m migrated to Siberia between 1907 and 1909 - Failures
- Huge tracts of the best land was still owned by the Tsar
- Reform did not address the problem of overpopulation and ‘land hunger’
- Growing class of alienated poor peasants who were susceptible to revolution
- Constructing a middle ground of ‘enlightened conservatism’ gave him enemies on both sides of the political spectrum.
- Assassinated in 1911 by a left-wing radical with connections to the Secret Police.
24
Q
Causes of the 1905 October Revolution
A
- Nicholas II’s leadership (1894)
- Easily influenced (Pobedonostsev) - Social issues
- Famine (1991)
- Food Prices - Opposition
- Liberalists / Marxists / Populists - Foreign relations
- Russo-Japanese War
25
Can 1905 be considered a revolution?
- Yes
- October Manifesto
- Creation of State Duma
- Popular Movement - Organisation
- Threat to Tsarist Government
- Violence
- No
- Not enough change to satisfy the Russian people
- Tsar 'crushing' of protests
26
Problems facing Russia 1905-1917
- WWI
- Morale
- Tsar's Leadership
- Influence of RasputinBatt
- Structural Weaknesses
- Economic decline
- Grain hoarding
- Battles of Tannenberg / Masurian Lakes
- Would the Tsar Survive?
- Army was still loyal
- Middle-class was unlikely to join working-class in revolution
- Sharp decline in peasant unrest just before war
- Dumas and Zemstvas had allowed for more political discussion
- The Tsar wouldn't survive
- Town workers were influenced by revolutionaries
- Nicholas ignored the Duma most of the time
- People's freedom to move to towns increased
- Increasing number of violent peasant uprisings during the war
27
Russia on the eve of War
- Political
- Rasputin and Stolypin
- Economical
- Economic recovery
- Factory output grew to 5% a year
- Social
- Massive social problems
- 60% illiteracy
- Population growth
28
How did WWI affect Russia in Leadership?
- 1917:
- Abdication of the Tsar in February
- Last Tsar of Russia
- October: Bolsheviks take over
- First Communist Country
29
How did WWI affect Russia in Battles?
- 1914:
- Battle of Tannenburg
- Masurian Lakes
- Long retreat
- 1m Russians killed
30
How did WWI affect Russia in Soldiers?
- Russia suffered serious defeats
- Reduced morale
- Soldiers were let down by their officers
- Turned many soldiers against the Tsar
- Jan 1917: 1m Soldiers deserted
31
How did WWI affect Russia in the Economy?
- War = expensive
- Expenditure doubled
- Excessive borrowing
- 1916: 1000 miles of front
- High inflation and lack of food
- Increase in opposition and revolutionary groups
- Supply chains and organizations couldn't keep up with the demands
32
How did WWI affect Russia in Civilians?
- Conscripted or worked long hours in the factories
- Peasants maintained their income
- Unhappy population
- Worked hard and low on food
- Knowing Tsar was at the front and not helping didn't help morale
33
February Revolution (1917): Long-term causes
- Social wakeup
- Conditions / weather
- Literally
- Food / Land (Reliance on agriculture)
34
February Revolution (1917): Short-term causes
- Rasputin
- Food
- Army
- Progressive bloc
- Coalition of opposition in the Duma (1914)
35
February Revolution (1917): Course/Manifestation
- Unexpected
- Unopposed
- Collective dissent against Tsarism
- On the street
- Social
- Dissolution of the Duma
- Lack of leadership
- Rapid
- Five days of rioting
36
February Revolution (1917): Consequences
- Fall of Tsarism
- Peace in WWI - 1917
- Chaos - Rise of the Bolsheviks
37
The Provisional government
- Nobles (wealthy)
- Not very forward thinking
- Still right-wing
- Led by Lvov
- Member of one of Russia's wealthiest families
- Policy on WWI:
- Stay in the war, gain territory
- No strict land policy
- Tauride Palace
- Petrograd Soviet
- Provisional Government
38
The Civil War
- Red:
- Bolsheviks, unified
- White:
- Liberals, former Tsarists, Nationalists and Separatists, Social Revolutionaries
- Green
39
Political/Leadership reasons why the Reds won the Civil War
- Trotsky: Discipline (Capital Punishment)
- Organisation
- White leaders 'dehumanised' soldiers
- Lenin & Land
40
Socio-Economic reasons why the Reds won the Civil War
- Support of the peasants
- Given a right to land
- Protect gains of 1917
- Bolsheviks allowed the best chance to do this
- Strong Bolshevik propaganda
- Foreign influence on whites
- Unliked by many in Russia
41
Military reasons why the Reds won the Civil War
- 5m strong by 1920
- Unity in Red Army
- Unlike the whites
- Command structure (Trotsky)
- Geography/Control of railways
42
Control of the people by the Bolsheviks
- Support from soldiers
- Anti-Bolshevik organisations were closed down
- Propaganda campaign against political and class enemies
43
The Constituent Assembly
- The decree on land
- Giving peasants legality for throwing their landlords from their properties
- The decree on workers' control
- Accepting the workers has taken control of the factories
- Nationalise banks and railways
- Cancel all foreign debt
- Less chaotic transport system
- Cheka created in 1917
- Better and more organised version of the Okhrana
- Dissolved the Constituent Assembly
- Supported as a mode to end the provisional government
- Dissolved at gunpoint (January 1918)
- Way of keeping hold of precarious power
- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918)
- Peace treaty signed between Soviets and Central Powers
44
Consolidating Bolshevik power
- From the beginning, the Bolsheviks struggled to survive
- Few plans to keep power as the focus had been how to gain it
- What would they need?
- Political structure
- Suppress opposition
- Social promises: "Peace, Land and Bread"
- Economy
45
Vladimir Lenin
- 'Professional' Revolutionary
- Orator
- Figurehead of revolution
- Leader
- Permanent revolution
46
Leo Trotsky
- 'Professional' Revolutionary
- Military brain
- Background tactician
47
Why did the Provisional Government fail?
- The dual Authority
- Conditions in the Cities
- The Soviet
- The Kornilov affairs
- Internal dispute within the government
- Failures of Kerensky
- The Bolsheviks
- The War
48
The Structure 'Dual Authority'
- Provisional Committee featured people who used to favour Constitutional Monarchy
- Provisional Government + Soviets
- Right wing working with the left
49
Lenin's Return in April
- New promises
- "Peace, Land and Bread"
- "All power to the Soviets"
- Increase Bolsheviks, decrease Provisional government
50
Kerensky Offensive (June)
- Military operation ordered by Kerensky
- Unpopular due to demands for peace
- Weakened the position of the Provisional Government
- Bolshevik revolution made more likely
51
July Days
- 3rd July
- Pro-Bolshevik units refused to be sent to the front
- They joined other left-wing radicals on the streets
- 250,000 went to the Tauride Palace
- Not organised by Bolshevik leaders
52
Kornilov Affair (August)
- Kornilov was General of the Army
- Ordered 6 regiments of troops from the caucasian native division to march on Petrograd
- Presumed to be an attempt to crush the Soviet and establish a Military Dictatorship
- Kerensky panicked and asked that the Soviets helped him defeat Kornilov
53
New Economic Policy
- August 1921
- Capitalist Elements
- Allows limited private enterprise
- Interaction between rural and urban
- Foreign aid and trade
- Survival
- Divides party
- Scissors Crisis
- Widening gap between agricultural prices and industrial prices
- Nepmen
- People who benefitted from the NEP
54
War Communism
- Heavy state control
- Centralised command economy
- 1918:
- Spring: Nationalism of Railways and Merchant Fleet
- June: Factories
- Devaluation of money
- Ration tokens
- Labour discipline tightened
- Internal passports
- Spies
- Targeting Kulaks
- Food shortage
- Poor peasants were considered allies of the proletariat
- Kulaks were considered enemies of the people
- More efficient farmers left and grain levels reached dangerous levels
- Black market trade
- Forcible requisitioning of grain
- Officially 'bought' but often brutally confiscated
- Peasants didn't have enough grain
55
Economic Problems after the Civil War
- Industrial output fell to 20% of pre-war levels
- Food prices increased
- 1921 Harvest produced 48% of 1913
- 25m died from malnutrition and disease
- Peasant violence - Tambov province
- 70,000 strong peasant army
- Spread across south-eastern Russia
- Kronstadt Naval Base
- March 1921: Sent a manifesto to Lenin
- 30,000 sailors fought against the army
- 15,000 imprisoned
56
Why Stalin became leader of Russia and not Trotsky
- Different policies
- Trotsky wanted democracy and openness
- Stalin had a plan to rise to the top
- Trotsky wanted 'permanent revolution'
- Stalin wanted to establish a strong Socialist state
- Stalin's positions in the party
- Party Secretary: Meeting agendas etc.
- Position in Orgburo: Supporters in key positions
- Control of party organisation and membership
- Trotsky's failures
- Arrogance and aloofness
- His views split the party
- Party members not convinced of his loyalty
- Often ill with unknown fevers
- Tricked into not going to Lenin's funeral
