Russian Revolution part 1 Flashcards
who wished to change the society completely
radicals and liberals
who didnt want changein polity
conservatives
who were the liberals?what did they want?
One of the groups which looked to change society were the liberals.
Liberals wanted a nation which tolerated all religions. We should
remember that at this time European states usually discriminated in
favour of one religion or another (Britain favoured the Church of
England, Austria and Spain favoured the Catholic Church). Liberals
also opposed the uncontrolled power of dynastic rulers. They wanted
to safeguard the rights of individuals against governments. They
argued for a representative, elected parliamentary government, subject
to laws interpreted by a well-trained judiciary that was independent
of rulers and officials. However, they were not ëdemocratsí. They
did not believe in universal adult franchise, that is, the right of every
citizen to vote. They felt men of property mainly should have the
vote. They also did not want the vote for women.
who were the radicals?
In contrast, radicals wanted a nation in which government was based
on the majority of a countryís population. Many supported womenís
suffragette movements. Unlike liberals, they opposed the privileges
of great landowners and wealthy factory owners. They were not
against the existence of private property but disliked concentration
of property in the hands of a few.
who were conservatives
Conservatives were opposed to radicals and liberals. After the French
Revolution, however, even conservatives had opened their minds to
the need for change. Earlier, in the eighteenth century, conservatives
had been generally opposed to the idea of change. By the nineteenth
century, they accepted that some change was inevitable but believed
that the past had to be respected and change had to be brought about
through a slow process.
what did industrialisation bring along
Industrialisation brought men, women and children to factories. Work
hours were often long and wages were poor. Unemployment was
common, particularly during times of low demand for industrial goods.
Housing and sanitation were problems since towns were growing
rapidly. Liberals and radicals searched for solutions to these issues
who owned most of the industries? what did they beleive in?
Almost all industries were the property of individuals. Liberals and
radicals themselves were often property owners and employers.
Having made their wealth through trade or industrial ventures, they
felt that such effort should be encouraged ñ that its benefits would
be achieved if the workforce in the economy was healthy and citizens
were educated. Opposed to the privileges the old aristocracy had by
birth, they firmly believed in the value of individual effort, labour
and enterprise. If freedom of individuals was ensured, if the poor
could labour, and those with capital could operate without restraint,
they believed that societies would develop. Many working men and
women who wanted changes in the world rallied around liberal and
radical groups and parties in the early nineteenth century.
what were nationalists,liberals and radicals idea of revolutions
Some nationalists, liberals and radicals wanted revolutions to put an
end to the kind of governments established in Europe in 1815. In
France, Italy, Germany and Russia, they became revolutionaries and
worked to overthrow existing monarchs. Nationalists talked of
revolutions that would create ënationsí where all citizens would have equal rights. After 1815, Giuseppe Mazzini, an Italian nationalist, conspired
with others to achieve this in Italy. Nationalists elsewhere ñ including India
ñ read his writings.
what was one of the most far reaching visions of how society should be structures
socialism.
socialists were against private property and saw it as the root of all social ills of the time.why?
Socialists were against private property, and saw it as the root of all social ills
of the time. Why? Individuals owned the property that gave employment
but the propertied were concerned only with personal gain and not with
the welfare of those who made the property productive. So if society as a
whole rather than single individuals controlled property, more attention
would be paid to collective social interests. Socialists wanted this change and
campaigned for it.
socialists had different visions of the future explain
(or)
How could a society without property operate? What would be the basis of
socialist society?
Socialists had different visions of the future. Some believed in the idea of
cooperatives. Robert Owen (1771-1858), a leading English manufacturer,
sought to build a cooperative community called New Harmony in Indiana
(USA). Other socialists felt that cooperatives could not be built on a wide
scale only through individual initiative: they demanded that governments
encourage cooperatives. In France, for instance, Louis Blanc (1813-1882)
wanted the government to encourage cooperatives and replace capitalist
enterprises. These cooperatives were to be associations of people who
produced goods together and divided the profits according to the work
done by members.
what were cooperatives or cooperative communities
These cooperatives were to be associations of people who
produced goods together and divided the profits according to the work
done by members
what was karl marx idea of capitalism
Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) added other ideas
to this body of arguments. Marx argued that industrial society was capitalist.
Capitalists owned the capital invested in factories, and the profit of capitalists
was produced by workers. The conditions of workers could not improve
as long as this profit was accumulated by private capitalists. Workers had to
overthrow capitalism and the rule of private property. Marx believed that
to free themselves from capitalist exploitation, workers had to construct a
radically socialist society where all property was socially controlled. This
would be a communist society. He was convinced that workers would
triumph in their conflict with capitalists. A communist society was the natural
society of the future.
what did socialists do in 1870’s
By the 1870s, socialist ideas spread through Europe. To coordinate
their efforts, socialists formed an international body ñ namely, the
Second International.
what steps were taken my socialists around europe to popularise socialism
Workers in England and Germany began forming associations to
fight for better living and working conditions. They set up funds to
help members in times of distress and demanded a reduction of working
hours and the right to vote. In Germany, these associations worked closely
with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and helped it win parliamentary
seats. By 1905, socialists and trade unionists formed a Labour Party in
Britain and a Socialist Party in France. However, till 1914, socialists never
succeeded in forming a government in Europe. Represented by strong
figures in parliamentary politics, their ideas did shape legislation, but
governments continued to be run by conservatives, liberals and radicals
