Russia and it's rulers- 1- The nature of government-autocracy,dictatorship and totalitarianism Flashcards
autocracy
a system of government in which one person has total power
Autocracy in Russia
1855-march 1917, Russia was governed by an autocracy. The Tsars was the name of the rulers of the time and they were part of the Romanov dynasty. It was said that their power was ordinated by god and all Russians had to obey them.
constitutional government.
A government that is organised and administrated according to a set of written or unwritten rules
paternalistic
protecting the people. the tsar had a paternalistic duty.
Russian orthodox church
A branch of Christianity that was very traditional and that as independent from outside authorities such as the papcy.it taught the people to obey the tsar as he was said to be anointed by God.
why was Russia governed as an autocracy?
was seen as a practical necessity. because of how vast and diverse Russia is, it was easier for Russia to be governed by one person because a liberal democracy would have been disastrous as too many people would have demanded too many things also majority of the population were illiterate peasants.
liberal democracy
a political ideology that promotes the right of the people to exercise freedom of choice. This would include the freedom to speak what one believes in, and the freedom to choose a representative in government.
continuity in the belief in autocracy
there was variation of autocratic power but the significance of autocracy was continuously enforced through manifestos, speeches and policies
orthodoxy, Autocracy and nationality
the slogan used by the tsars and pobedonostev to justify and explain the conservative nature of tsarist rule
fundamental laws
basic laws that reinforced the ideology underpinning tsarist rule.
Land captains
Landowners who were appointed, from 1889 onwards, mainly to supervise the work of the regional councils,or zemstva,that had been introduced by Alexander 2nd
Dialectical
Relating to the ongoing changes in society from one stage to another
Reds
A general term for those who actively supported the bolsheviks during the civil war
Whites
A general term for those who actively opposed the bolsheviks during the civil war
De-salinisation
The denunciation, by krushchev, of stalins policies
Leon Trotsky
A revolutionary, best known for his leading role in securing Bolshevik success during the Russian civil war
Cold War
A state of tension and hostility. Between the soviet union and the western powers after the Second World War. However,the hostility did not spill over into actual fighting between the two power blocks
Command economy
An economy that is controlled totally by the state
Five year plans
These involved setting production targets which were to be achieved on a five-year cycle
Collectivisation
A communal system of farming whereby peasants shared resources to produce food, which was then distributed to ensure that local populations were adequately fed. Surpluses were sent to urban populations
Bourgeois
Anything associated with the wealth and status of the middle classes
Cult of personality
The use of propaganda to build a positive image of a leader so that the population offers total obedience to that leader
Megalomania
An individual’s belief that they are very powerful and important
Council of ministers
Senior politicians who drafted domestic policies
Central committee
The chief decision making group of the Russian communist party
Supreme soviet of the USSR
The main law making body in the soviet union
Presidium
A small group of ministers rather like the cabinet in the British political system
First secretary of the party
The most important administrative officer in the communist party
Duopoly
Power in the hands of two people
MVD
The secret police that was the successor of the NKGB and the predecessor of the KGB
Collective leadership
Rule by a group whereby responsibilities are equally shared out
gulags
Labour camps that were used mainly to house political dissidents and those suspected of being anti-communist
de-Stalinisation
-release political prisoners from gulags
-relaxation on censorship. resulting in criticism in the media of Stalin.
-stalins legacy of a cult personality began to erode. images were taken down and statues were removed.
the reaction to de-Stalinisation
after the secret speech, there were riots and protests formed by those released from the gulags demanding more freedoms from satellite states. he resisted the use of violence to deal with unrest. MVD maintained order. Khrushchev did however use violence and force were needed proving he was not willing to stray to far from authoritarian rule.
