Russia thematic questions Flashcards
‘The economic policies of Russian governments consistently failed to benefit the rural population throughout the years from 1855 to 1964.’ How far do you agree?
Yes:
A2: emancipation, tied to mir, little freedoms, clergy got best land
A3: Vyshnegradsky’s decision to raise import taxes meant peasants couldn’t afford food, 350,000 starved as a result,
N2: 1987 gold standard meant peasants had to pay more for goods
L: War communism, not happy, grain requisitioning, couldn’t keep surplus. NEP: 1921 famine, 4 mil died awful, scissor crisis, gap between industrial and agrictural prices, 379-67%, 8 hour queues for bread
S: collectivisation not great, 10 mil died under it, wages decreased 50%, 18 mil horses and 100 mil killed, instead of handing over, grain hid, 1932-33 famine, 5 mil died, 5 mil sent to gulags
K: virgin land campaign bad, 1/6 grain kept, no fertiliser, poor land, overused, 1963 importing food again, underpaying peasants, 13000 wind erosion.
No:
A2: loans to help buy land,
A3: 1883 peasant land banks, loans, land redistribution
N2: 1905 stolypin reforms, private dwellings, alotments, land titles, loans, great spurt, 1987 gold standard= strong exchange rates
L: 1917 decree on land
S: production in early days did increase
K: production in early days did increase 1956: 81 tons, 1965: 144 grains, provided work, not collectivised
Throughout the years from 1855 to 1964 the methods of repression and enforcement used by Russian governments remained consistent.’ How far do you agree?
Censorship:
A2: glasnost, still controlled newspaper and could withdraw publications but fairly free
A3: reactionary rule after assassination, different to A2, shut down educational facilities, stopped publications.
N2: again another change, not consistent, Glasnost to an extent, still controlled newspapers and helf right to withdrawal, topical issues in Duma could be printed for the first time
L:
S: had to join soviet writers’ union, anything that wasn’t in support was blocked, unless supporting Stalin. Shut down educational and printing buildings, controlled newspaper
K: huge openness, 145,000 libraries, 8000 million books, 65,000 being published per year
Secret Police:
To an extent, always present but not always used for repression, instead enforcement and security
A2: Okhrana
A3: Okhrana disbanded after immediately arrested 150 members peoples will
N2: Cheka, used to tackle revolutionaries, and political opposition, same as Lenin
L: Cheka, Bolsheviks
S: NKVD used as red terror, 5 mil kulaks sent to gulags
Army:
Different extremities but fairly same basis of intention
A2:
A3:
N2: used to dismantle strikes, but troops wanted to join protestors
L: 1917 revolution, army used to stop political opposition, mainly Bolsheviks and the red army
S: used to terrorise through great terror, sent to gulags
K: used in foreign affairs, Hungarian uprising and warsaw pact for example, didn’t represent destalinsation
‘There was little change to the living and
working conditions of urban and rural people in
Russia during the period from 1855 to 1964.’
How far do you agree?
Living Urban:
A3: urbanization led to disease
N2: huge development despite not entirely beneficial, 1000 towns, 2 mil people, 50% shit, 200 water 38
disease
S: cramped, homelessness, kitchens, bathrooms 5%, 1930s moscow
K: fell behind significantly, washing machines and car ownerships small examples, housing still poorly built, less cramped, doubled housing stock, 108 new apartments
Working:
lots of change, continued to improve to an extent, some minor set backs
A2: industrial workers 1% popi
A3: 1882 factory inspectorate, under 12s banned, 11 hour day max
N2: holiday, insurance, 11 hour day
L: Decree on workers control, TRADE UNIONS BAND CONDITIONS BAD
S: 10 hour day down to 7, fines for breaking workspace rules
K: 7 hour day, 1955 minimum wage
Peasant living and working:
A2: food shortages, 50 mil privately owned serfs pre emancipation
A3; heavy import taxes, vyshnegradsky, 350,000 starved, 8 hour queues for bread, 1889 land captains
N2: money taken from peasants, lived in wooden huts Izbau, with animals, no food transported to them
L: 1921 famine, killed 4 mil, peasant income fell under NEP, food requisioning
S: 10 mil died under collectivisation, wages dropped 50%,
“The wars that Russia fought in the years from
1855 to 1964 always hindered economic
development.” How far do you agree?
“Russian governments had the most secure
control of national minorities and satellite
states after 1945”. How far do you agree with
this view of the period from 1855 to 1964?
No:
S: yugoslavia, little control, set up own communes, turning more capitalist
War always led to major changes in the
government of Russia in the period from 1855
to 1964. How far do you agree?
‘War brought about more change in the period before 1917
than after.’ How far do you agree with this view of the
period 1855 to 1964?
How consistent was Russia’s treatment of the peoples in
its Empire throughout the period from 1855 to 1964?
changed Russian government more than other events in
the period from 1855 to 1964.
Social reforms were more successful under the Communists than the Tsars
population
A2: allowed marriage, saw population increase 74-125 million
L+K: abortion, rates dropped
S: 10+ children award, didnt help, rates dropped 191-178 mil
result of two huge famines 1921 and 1932, purges, kulaks etc
class
p: 80%
A2: emancipation: 25 mil released from private ownership, blurred divisions, again marriage merged classes
N2: middle class increased 2 mil, opportunitie presented with duma
nobility decreased 200-140 due to debt
S: 1.5 mil promoted 1930s
education:
A2: tolstoy, 1872 higher education for women
A3: exclusion policy, preserve elite
N2: increase in primary and uni attendence
L: polyetechnics, application to working world
S: fees, primary compulsory, 8-18 mil, war on literacy
K: scrapped fees
To What Extent Was the First World War Exaggerated as a Turning Point in Russian History
Economic:
yes exaggerates
-3 bil, double countries expenditure, prices rose 400%
-printed money, managed it
RT: collapse rouble
CW: space and arms race
Crim: initiated start of the railway, limited in WW1, 2 billion roubles invested, 20,000 KM added by 1978
Social:
WW1: 1.7 million deaths
WW2: 27 milllion, 6,000 raped 5 mil political prisoners
Civ: 21 million deaths, 15% population decrease
CW: hungarian revolt, social unrest
RJ: social unrest also
political
crimean: zemstva
RJ: 1905 rev october manifesto, duma
WW1:1917, 300 years of romanov, socialist democracy, first communist Gov, war provided fuel to the fire
To what extent were the limitations on personal, political and religious freedoms greater under the Tsars than the Communists
personal:
L: red terror, 50,000 killings
S: purges, great terror kulaks liquidated
A3: censorship
K: censorship
N2: censorship
S: censorship
political
A2: zemstva
N2: dumas, parties allowed
L: move to workers party, social revolutionaries banned
S: political parties not allowed
K: time period to 4 years in cabinet
Religious:
A3: 1883 law, no public demonstrations
-Pobedenovstev tightened control
-form of social control
L: 1917 seperation of church and state
-couldnt buy property
-K: church reforms
How far do you agree that credt for idustrialising russia can only be given to stalin?
factors: production, infrastructure, finances
production:
A2: 30,000 to 3 mil
L: NEP fall in producton, 29-8.9 mil
S: huge increase, 5 year plans, argue: rates inflated and lied about due to fear
Coal 35-150
Oil 21-26
Iron 3-18
K: slowed, focus on modern emnities, plastics etc, that didnt benefit heavy industry economy
Infrastructure:
A2: reutern railway, started post crimean war
2194-13,979
N2: inefficient during war, 1914: 33,270 but 11 times less than germany
S: trans siberian railway completed, biggest, connected all major industrial centres
8,000 enterprises built
Finance:
A2: reutern, secured financial monies, investment capital and monpoly concessions, could focus on industry
A3: vysh: state bank and treasury, mendelev tariff, failed led to 350,000 deaths and 8 hour queues for bread
Witte went back to foreign loans and investment
N2: continued under N2, 1 mil- 91.1 mil establishing huge debt to other countries
S: economic autarky, wages low for maximum industry investment
Communists and tsars ruled russia in the same way, how far do you agree?
factors: censorship, ideology, approach to opposition
censorship:
A3: clamped down, publications withdrew
N2: glasnost, issues in Duma published 1st time, still held rights to withdraw publications
Similarities from A3-S
S: soviet union writers, had to join
huge restrictions on publications
K: release, larger than N2 and A2 combined. 145,000 libraries, 8000 million books by 1964, 65,000 being published per year, increased circulation etc
Ideology:
idea of central control stayed the same
however to different exremities
Tsars: divine right, reinstated absolute power to tsar after 1906 fundamental laws (N2)
focus on agriculture and peasantry
communists more focus on urban population
Marxist theory: equality to workers under central control, not entirely achieved
S: cult personality extreme compared to Tsars, answered to him, no political parties, great terror, purges, not seen before in tsarism, similar to red terror of Lenin
approach to opposition
Political and workers
A2: emancipation 100,000 peasants rioting at any time, 2000 killed in once instance
extremity may differ but foundation of violence and repression is the same across both
A3: 150 peoples will arrested immediately, then banned
L: similarly banned social revolutionaries
dye workers revolt: 270 killed
N2: 2000 political killings, bloody sunday: 200 killed
cheka and okhrana commonly used to dismantle strikes.
L: kronstad revolt, 20,000 killed, red terror 50,000 per year
S: 5 mil kulaks, purges, great terror
K: Hungarian uprising 23 killed, claims to not repress, showing clear similarities
