Section 1 - Chapter 5 Flashcards
When was Land and Liberty set up?
1877
What were the aims and actions of Land and Liberty?
- Its members sough work within the peasant communes.
- Some carried out political assassinations including that of General Mezemtsev.
- There were some talks between ‘Land and Liberty’ and the zemstvos to place more pressure on the tsarist autocracy for constitutional reform.
Which two groups did Land and Liberty split into
In 1879 Land and Liberty split into two different groups: Black Repartition and The People’s Will.
Who was the leader of ‘The People’s Will’?
Aleksandr Mikhailov
What were the actions of ‘The People’s Will’?
- They planted a spy in the Tsar’s Third Section.
- The group advocated violent methods, undermining the government by assassinating officials.
- In 1879 it declared that the Tsar had to be removed – they assassinated Alexander II in March 1881.
Who was ‘Black Repartition’ organised by?
Georgi Plekhanov.
What were the aims and actions of ‘Black Repartition’?
- It continued to work peacefully among the peasantry – developing ties with students and worker, publishing radical material in the hope of stimulating social change.
- The group was severely weakened by arrests made in 1880-1881.
What lead to the growth of new ideas and opposition?
- The initial relaxation of censorship lead to the spread of radical literature.
- Relaxation of controls on higher education increased the number of independently minded students.
- The creation of the zemstvos and dumas provided a platform for the intelligentsia to challenge the policies of the tsarist autocracy.
- Reform to the judicial system produced lawyers ready to challenge autocratic practices carried out by the tsar.
Give some example of radical thinkers?
- Nikolai Chernshevsky
- Aleksandr Herzen
- Mikhail Bakunin
- Sergei Nechaev
What ideas did Nikolai Chernshevsky put foward?
Author of a radical journal “The Contemporary”. He wrote it whilst being locked up in Paul Fortress in St Petersburg – he suggested that peasants had to be made leaders of revolutionary change.
How was Mikhail Bakunin involved with social change in Russia?
- He put forward the view that private ownership of land should be replaced by collective ownership.
- He helped to introduce Marxism into Russia.
- In 1869, Bakunin and Sergei Nechaev wrote a manifesto “Catechism of a Revolutionary”.
What was the Tchaikovsky Circle?
- The Tchaikovsky Circle was set up in 1868 in St Petersburg – it was primarily a literary society that organised the printing, publishing and distribution of revolutionary literature.
What is Marxist theory?
- The theories of Karl Marx were based on the idea that all history was composed of class struggles.
- Marx had predicted that a struggle between the working-class and factory-owning capitalists would ultimately create the perfect communist society in which everyone would be equal.
What were the belief of Westernisers?
Russia should move forward by following the example of Europe and adopting western values, political systems and social structures.
What were the belief of Slavophiles?
Russia had a unique culture and heritage based around the traditional peasant-based society and unquestioned authority of the tsar, and that is should not be diluted by western style values.
