Russian Revolution Flashcards
Describe the power of the Tsar in pre-revolutionary Russia:
Tsarist Russia was an autocratic system. The Tsar believed he was placed there by God: he had ultimate power and was not answerable to anyone.
Why were the Russian people frustrated with the Tsar by the beginning of the 20th Century?
He ran a government that was designed to promote autocracy rather than bring about any meaningful change and as a result, political opposition began to grow from the beginning of the 20th century.
What specific reason caused the nobility and middle classes to be frustrated?
Members of the nobility and middle classes were frustrated by their exclusion from government, and believed that the Tsar was listening to the advice of the wrong people.
Who was Rasputin?
He was a monk who claimed to have the power to heal the Tsar’s son and as a result, held huge influence over the royal family.
(The heir to the throne had haemophilia which is a serious illness where the blood does not clot properly).
Rasputin was known for his excessive and antisocial behaviour, and as such, was hugely unpopular.
Causes of the Russian Revolution: Political System was outdated.
Tsarist Russia was an autocratic system. The Tsar believed he was placed there by God: he had ultimate power and was not answerable to anyone. He ran a government that was designed to promote autocracy rather than bring about any meaningful change and as a result, political opposition began to grow from the beginning of the 20th century.
Members of the nobility and middle classes were frustrated by their exclusion from government, and believed that the Tsar was listening to the advice of the wrong people.
Rasputin was the prime example of this. He was a monk who claimed to have the power to heal the Tsar’s son and as a result, held huge influence over the royal family (the heir to the throne had haemophilia which is a serious illness where the blood does not clot properly). Rasputin was known for his excessive and antisocial behaviour, and as such, was hugely unpopular.
Was the Russian economy forward looking or backward?
It was behind other European economies. Since the Tsar was more concerned with maintaining autocracy, than with bringing about any meaningful reforms, the Russian economy was not particularly successful by European standards.
What were conditions like in the cities?
Workers in the cities were living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.
How ere the Russian peasantry treated?
The peasantry in Russia did not own their own land, and were becoming increasingly agitated by having to work the land for the profit of the landowners.
Failures in economic policy caused mass discontent among the population.
Essay structure for what were the features of a revolution you have studied?
Introduction
Long term causes:
Outdated political system
Economic failure
Short term causes
First World War
Conclusion
Why did the departure of Tsar Nicolas to lead Russian troops in the first world war was a political problem?
Nicholas II decided that he would go to the front to lead the military. This left a power vacuum in St Petersburg, particularly since Nicholas left the Tsarina (his wife), who was heavily influenced by Rasputin, in charge.
How did the performance of the Russian Army affect sentiment back at home?
Russia suffered a series of military failures in the war. The weaponry and tactics of the Russian army could not compete with the German systems of supply and technology (machine guns).
The Russian army was poorly supplied: there were many stories of men being sent off to fight without their boots.
As a result, many men deserted the army, and the government became even more unpopular among the soldiers.
What effect did the First World have on food supplies in Russia?
Since many of the peasants had been conscripted, there were insufficient numbers of people in the countryside to grow the food.
Additionally, the government prioritised sending food to the front. T
his ensured that the cities and towns faced major shortages
Sum up the crisis point Russia found itself at in February 1917?
In summary, the situation was pretty dire by February 1917. Long term political and economic failures caused the growth of political opposition to the Tsar.
The war put enormous strain on the economy: it caused millions of deaths and created severe food shortages.
The people no longer had faith in the Tsar’s ability to resolve the situation.
What happened in the February revolution?
A number of strikes broke out at in St Petersburg
The Tsar sends in the garrison to supress the strikers, but the soldiers mutiny and join the protests
Members of the Duma (the Russian Parliament), form a group to take back control of the city
The Tsar is unable to reach St Petersburg, since the revolutionaries controlled the train stations. He was forced to abdicate and a provisional government was formed.
What happened during the rule of the provisional government?
The provisional government ruled Russia between February and October 1917. It was not particularly successful and became very unpopular.
The government started making plans for the election of an assembly as soon as they came to power. But the size of Russia meant that this was not an easy task, and the elections were continuously delayed.
The provisional government failed to make any meaningful reforms in this period, and continued with the very unpopular war.
