Russia Topic 2 Flashcards
Why did the begin of WW1 increase popularity for the Tsar
The people of Russia felt patriotic and proud of their country
Why did the Russian people blame the Tsarist government for their defeat in the war
Because there wasn’t enough weapons or supplies for the army
- 1/3 of the army had no rifle
- soldiers did not have enough uniform for the cold
- they did not have enough food to eat
What did the Tsar make himself, and why did this make all the people blame him for the failures of the war
Made himself the commander in chief of the Russian forces despite having no military experience
- Now all defeats were blamed directly on the Tsar
How much did WW1 cost Russia
17 billion roubles
Around how many casualties did Russia suffer
2 million
What did the Russian government do to vodka
They introduced prohibition to reduce drunkenness, unfortunately vodka made up 25% of taxes so they had to increase other taxes
How were the peasants affected by WW1
- Soldiers took what they need from the peasants harvests to feed the army
- Peasants were not allowed to sell their grain to make money
- There was not enough people to work on the fields as all the soldiers had been sent to fight
How were factory owner affected by WW1
- 500 factories closed down as all the workers were sent to fight
- Being forced to make equipment for the army so couldn’t make goods to sell and make money
- lack of money meant they had to sack people
How were factory workers affected by WW1
- Shop prices were high due to inflation but wages did not increase
- struggling to afford what little food was available
How were railway drivers affected by WW1
- Had to focus on getting food to the army
- therefore food was not getting to the cities and people were starving
How was the Duma affected by WW1
- The Tsar suspended the Duma to concentrate on winning the war
How were members of the middle class affected by WW1
- Inflation meant that money became worthless
- Their savings became less and less valuable
Why was Tsarina in control
- When the Tsar left to take on the role as commander in chief he left his wife in charge and named her the regent
- She was given power to govern in his absence
How did the Tsarina contribute to the growing unpopularity of the Tsar
- She was a dedicated autocrat so refused to listen to the Duma, she dismissed ministers who disagreed with her and replaced them with ones she preferred
- She was German, rumours that she was deliberately trying to lose the war
- She was obsessed and dependent on a monk, Rasputin
How did Rasputin damage the Tsar’s reputation
- Rumours of him having an affair with the Tsarina
- Cartoons showing him as the real leader and Tsar and Tsarina as his puppets
- People didn’t like him as he was a sinner
How did Rasputin make the Tsar even more unpopular
- The duma was angry that the Tsar would rather listen to a mad monk than them
- The Tsar’s advisors were jealous of Rasputins influence over the royal family
- People were unhappy with the way Tsarina and Rasputin ran the country while the Tsar was away
When was the February revolution
1917
What were the immediate causes of the February revolution
- The Tsar being away from Petrograd
- Food shortages in Petrograd
- Dislike for the Tsarina
- Announcement of bread rationing
- Industrial unrest, strikes
- The army’s mutiny
- The women’s day march
What did the international womens day march protest about
Bread rationing
Due to the unusually mild winter what could people do
Gather outside, in higher numbers than the police could control
How did the February revolution begin
Clashes between demonstrators and the police and army
What was the turning point for the protestors and the soldiers in the February Revolution
- When the Tsar ordered them to open fire onto the protestors
- It was called the second ‘bloody sunday’
- Soldiers were forced to make a decision, to follow their Tsar or join the people
What happened with other army regiments due to hearing about soldiers firing into protestors
- They started to mutiny
- They refused to follow orders to fire at the demonstrators
How did the mutiny of the army make the fall of the Tsar certain
Without the soldiers support, the Tsars government had no real way of controlling the city,
- as the police force was not big enough
How many of the army mutinied
150,000
How many demonstrators was there
250,000
Once the Tsar had abdicated, who took charge of Russia
The provisional government and the Petrograd soviet
How long did the Prov Gov say they would be in control for
Until democratic elections were held by the Constituent assembly
What did the provisional governments 8 principles set out
- Civil rights for people
- Freedom of speech
- Banned discrimination
- Released political prisoners
- allowed political prisoners to return to Russia
Who was the Petrograd soviet made up of
Workers and soldiers who supported the revolution
What was the situation called to reflect the fact that the Provisional Government was ruling with the support of the Petrograd soviet
Dual control
