Russia in the early 20th century Flashcards
Who was Vladimir Lenin?
The leader of the Bolsheviks and one of the main figures within the Russian revolution. In 1902 he wrote a pamphlet ‘What is to be done?’ in which he rejected economism.
He believed that a small group of dedicated and committed revolutionaries should lead and act on behalf of the proletariat. They would then seize power and act as the ‘vanguard’ (leaders) of the proletariat and guide workers to a revolutionary consciousness and political awareness.
- Vladimir Lenin was born in Simbirsk in 1870. He came from a middle class background
- When he was 17, Lenin’s brother, Alexander, was executed for an assassination plot against Tsar Alexander in 1887.
- Arrested in 1895 and exiled to Siberia Lenin and his wife were released in 1900
- Went into exile in London where he joined the Russian Social Democratic Party (Social Democrats)
Discuss Nicholas II’s time as a ruler, up until 1905.
After Nicholas II’s unlikely crowning in 1894, it’s a series of one bad decision after another, beginning with Nicholas being an unfit ruler just based on his character - sensitive, a pushover, and extremely family oriented. He was also trained to be a soldier, not Tsar.
The first attempt to topple the monarchy was the 1905 revolution: strikes spread across the country and illegal trade unions were widespread. Grand Duke Sergei, Nicholas’s uncle, was assassinated near the Kremlin. Some members of the Navy turned against Nicholas. Workers in St Petersburg formed the first Soviet: a council formed by workers as an attempted alternative to the govt. Leon Trotsky led the Soviet workers force. This revolution forced Nicholas to create a new govt in order to appease the bourgeoisie.
What was the ‘new govt’ that Tsar Nicholas created to appease the bourgeoisie during the first revolution? When was this?
In 1905, the Tsar issued the October Manifesto. This brought forth a new parliament - the Duma- with the ability to pass laws, and was elected by citizens (all adult male property owners).
How was the Tsar able to crush the 1905 revolution? What did the revolutionaries learn from this?
The army were loyal to the Tsar, and therefore he still had military power. The middle classes, workers and peasants, and minority didn’t join together and unite against the Tsar - therefore he was able to ‘divide and conquer’ or deal with one group at a time. The Russo-Japanese war also ended in 1905, which meant that the Tsar could use the returned troops to crush the rebellion.
The 1905 rev served as a practise run/dress rehearsal for the 1917 revolution.
The revolutionaries learned and realised that:
- they weren’t strong enough this time
- they needed to unite to increase strength
This eventually led to the increase of political parties in Russia.
Why was Alexandra disliked?
She was awkward in public, reserved and German (keep in mind that Russia was fighting against Germany in WW1).
What did Alexandra do in order to protect her husband while he was away?
She appointed less threatening and sometimes incompetent ministers that didn’t prove a threat to the Tsar’s rule.
Who or what brought the imperial family into disrepute, and how?
Grigori Rasputin. Alexandra fell under the influence of Rasputin (while the Tsar was away on the Eastern Front). He advised her appointments of ministers and interfered in all decision making (people sometimes paid him off, too). Rasputin represented everything that was wrong with the Imperial govt. As a result, the court and royal family became objects of ridicule who were abhorred.
Who was Rasputin?
Gregori Rasputin was a Siberian peasant and ‘mystic healer’ who became a valuable member of court and popular in the royal family after apparently healing the Tsar’s son Alexei, who was a haemophiliac. He was known for being charismatic and a little crazy, and apparently one time he stood on a balcony and waved his penis at the public, yelling “Look what controls Russia!” He had a lot of control over the royal family and court and was influential in decision making. Rasputin is the epitome of the sentiment that “public perception is more powerful than the truth” - the public perception being that he had an affair with Alexandra, but the truth remaining unknown until today. He was finally assassinated by nobility (not the Tsar or his immediate family) in 1916, and the public enjoyed entertaining the myth that killing him was difficult because he was so powerful/magical.
When were the notable Russian revolutions in the early 20th century?
1905 (unsuccessful, led by Leon Trotsky).
1917 Feb (the fall of the monarchy).
1917 October (the rise of Lenin).
Why, and when, did Nicholas II abdicate?
Nicholas was forced to abdicate on March 2nd, 1917. He did so due to the impact of WW1, peasant and worker discontentment, economic problems, political problems, and a revolution that he was unable to crush.
Discuss the economic conditions of Russia in the early 20th century.
Even before WW1, Russia’s economic conditions were poor (1914). Economic conditions got steadily worse from the beginning of WW1, and eventually Russia was on the verge of economic collapse entirely in 1917.
Economic conditions had an effect on Russia’s:
Industry:
- war put strain on industry
- shortages of raw materials and finished goods (affected the army)
Transport:
- Russia had an underdeveloped railway system
- The railway system was taken over for the war effort: sent troops and supplies to the front line
- This made it difficult to keep cities supplied with food
Agriculture:
- remained backward
- millions of farmers were conscripted into the army
- shortage of manpower on farms led to production decreases, which led to food shortages and an increase in food prices.
- inflation reached 200% by 1916.
Who ruled Russia from 1894-1917?
Tsar Nicholas II
What is a ‘Tsar?’
The Russian Emperor (effectively king)
What was life in Russia like in the early 20th century (pre-WW1)?
- Russia was under the control of Tsar Nicholas II. It was extremely poverty-stricken.
- 85% of the population (which was 175 million) were peasants.
- Few peasants owned land, and depended on landowning nobles for food and shelter.
- Those who did own land had to pay redemption payments which kept them poor.
- Peasants also payed poll tax and land tax.
- The state had imposed taxes on essential items such as tobacco, sugar, vodka and kerosene.
- Farming methods were backwards - very old methods with lots of manual labour and therefore low levels of food production, which led to food shortages.
- Growing peasant families led to overcrowded land, leading to an urgent need for land reform and redistribution.
- By 1900 there were 2.5 million industrial workers, which was very little considering the total population. This led to a backwards industry, which had a big impact negatively on the economy and meant that Russia was unable to compete internationally industrially.
-Working conditions were very poor and involved long hours, use of corporal (physical) punishments and fines, extremely low wages, and with no allowance of trade unions.
What was Russia’s social hierarchy in the late 19th century/early 20th century?
1: At the top: THE TSAR
[Ruling class; nobility and family of the Tsar]
2: THE ORTHODOX CHURCH
[ They had the ‘divine right to rule.’]
3: Middle: THE ARMY
[Enforcers of the Tsar’s will.]
4: THE BOURGEOISIE
[The middle class - ~4% of the pop.]
5: Bottom: THE PROLETARIAT
[Workers and Peasants - ~85% of the pop.]
