Russia In The 1850s Flashcards
Describe the Russian empire
It was a large multi ethnic empire which spread from Eastern Europe across the Middle East and as far as the border with China and Korea in Asia
Why had the empire developed over the previous three centuries?
As a result of war and military conquest
Describe diversity in the empire
There was great diversity in terms of culture, traditions, language, religion and customs. Less than half of the people under the Tsar’s rule thought of themselves as Russians
Where in the Western empire was there a strong national identity?
These strong national identities were based on shared language and religion eg in Poland, Finland and the Baltic states, which fuelled their desire for independence
Where was localism pervasive?
In parts of the empire, beyond the Ural Mountains, where people lived in small, traditional communities or were nomadic
Describe the Russian economy
It was backwards and heavily agricultural, towns and cities were more heavily developed in the Western part of the empire, most people lived in the countryside
Describe Russian industry
Russias industry was only in its infancy and there were few factories, farming was slow and inefficient because old fashioned methods and primitive technology eg wooden ploughs limited farming to subsistence
Describe transport systems
They were slow and inefficient which prevented the movement of goods and labour, in some areas of the empire there were no roads or railway lines. As a result much of Russia’s raw materials and natural resources like coal, oil and timber weren’t exploited
Why was the empire difficult to govern?
Due to the vastness of the empire and due to its geographical features eg there were huge areas of dessert, forest and ice
