Section 2 - Chapter 1 Flashcards
Nicholas II and the Challenge to Autocracy
What event set a bad precedent for Nicholas’ reign?
In May 1896 crowds gathered on Khondynka Field to celebrate Nicholas’ coronation. However, in the crush to see the new Tsar around 1,400 men, women and children were trampled to death and others badly injured. The coronation went ahead as if nothing had happened.
Give examples of peasant unrest between 1894 and 1905.
- After serious crop failure in 1901, the an outbreak of unrest took place in 1902. Unrest was most serious in Poltava, Kharkov and Saratov but it also spread to Georgia, the Ukraine and Poland. The uprisings took the form of arson attacks, looting, destroying grain, and attacking the landlords.
- These outbreaks were present from 1902-1907, and because of the arson attacks became known as ‘the years of the red cockerel’.
What was the government response to peasant unrest at the beginning of Nicholas’ reign?
○ A Commission on agriculture was established in 1902.
○ Extreme force was used to restore order. Under Stolypin, thousands were shot and others were flogged, arrested or exiled. The gallows were used so much they were referred to as Stolypin’s necktie’.
Give examples of unrest in the towns between 1894 and 1905.
- The textile workers in St. Petersburg mounted massive strikes in 1896 and 1897 - 30 thousand spinners and weavers went on strike. This cause the government to pass its only significant piece of factory legislation, restricting the working day to 11.5 hours per day.
- Industrial strikes increased from 17,000 in 1984 to 90,000 in 1904.
Give examples of student unrest in between 1894 and 1905.
- 1889 students went on strike because of government interference with the curriculum and lecturers’ freedom to teach.
What was the government response to student unrest?
Young people were expelled, exiled, drafted into the army, and even subjected to military force - in 1901 a squadron of Cossacks charged into a crowd of students in St. Petersburg killing 13.
What were the short term causes of the 1905 Revolution?
- The Russo-Japanese war.
- Uprisings/Industrial action.
- Mutiny of Potemkin sailors.
What were the government’s motives for the Russo-Japanese war?
○ To pursue an expansionist policy in the Far East to compensate for its relative decline in Europe.
○ To obtain an ice-free port.
○ To distract attention away from Russia’s domestic performance.
Reasons that Russia lost the Russo-Japanese War.
○ Russia underestimated the Japanese: they saw Japan as an inferior nation.
○ Under Emperor Meiji sweeping reforms and rapid modernisation meant that Japan had a better prepared army and navy.
○ Territorial disputes over Korea and Manchuria had been simmering for years.
How did uprisings and industrial action contribute to the 1905 Revolution?
People were unhappy with their living conditions - lack of pay, inability to feed their families, it was inevitable that their industrial action/uprisings would cultivate a “revolution”.
How did the mutiny of sailors contribute to the 1905 Revolution?
- Sailors on the Battleship Potemkin, rebelled against their officers over poor conditions and the serving of rotten meat.
- The mutiny reflected growing unrest within the armed forces.
- After seizing the ship, the mutineers sailed to Odessa, where strikes and demonstrations were already occurring. The arrival of the Potemkin intensified revolutionary activity.
What occurred on Bloody Sunday?
- A peaceful demonstration of workers, led by Father Gapon, marched to the Winter Palace to present a petition to Nicholas. The petition called for better working conditions, fair wages, reduced working hours, and broader political reforms.
- Nicholas had chosen to spend the weekend at Tsarkoe Selo, (his summer palace).
- The over 150,000 marchers carried religious icons, and portraits of the Tsar.
- As the crowd approached the Winter Palace, they were met with armed troops who opened fire on the unarmed protesters. Hundreds were killed and thousands injured.
What was the impact of Bloody Sunday on the image of Nicholas II?
The massacre shattered the image of the Tsar as the “Little Father” who cared for his people and ignited widespread outrage across the Russian Empire.
List the groups involved in the 1905 Revolution.
· Father Gapon and his unions.
· The peasants - led by the Social Revolutionaries.
· Georgians.
· The navy - mutiny of sailors.
· Liberals - the Kadets formed a ‘Union of unions’
· Revolutionaries: e.g. Leon Trotsky.
· Occupational workers: rail workers, printers, bakers, teachers, nurses, and judges.
Timeline of the 1905 Revolution.
January:
- Bloody Sunday.
February:
- Tsar’s uncle assassinated.
May:
- Russia defeated in Japan.
June:
- Mutiny of the Potemkin.
September:
- Occupational workers strike
October:
- The October Manifesto.
November:
- Rebels across Russia are punished.
- Redemption payments abolished.
December:
- Military crushes rebels.
What were the long term causes of the 1905 Revolution?
- The Great Famine.
- Poor government responses.
What were the three reasons Nicholas was able to survive the 1905 Revolution?
- Lack of unity of the rebels.
- Government decisions.
- The use of repression and a loyal army.
Give evidence of the rebels lacking unity.
○ Various groups, did NOT agitate at the same time, and had no organised leadership.
○ The October Manifesto split the liberal and socialists.
○ People’s motives at the time were more economic rather than political.
Give evidence of good government decisions.
○ The October Manifesto.
○ End of censorship.
○ Promised better conditions for the army.
○ Witte secured foreign loans.
Give evidence of army loyalty.
○ The army crushed the uprisings in Moscow in December 1905.
○ The relatively quick end to the war with Japan and the reasonable peace treaty meant Nicholas did not lose the support of the military. He was able to bring troops back to supress the uprisings and disturbances, giving them a job.
What did the Manifesto grant the rebels?
○ Civil liberties.
○ Freedom of speech.
○ Freedom of association.
○ Human rights
○ End of censorship.
Limitations of the Manifesto.
○ Lack of detail: Later Nicholas added that he could abolish the Duma. Later on he sneaks in some counter laws; he can rule in its place, and he at any point could abolish the duma.
○ Nicholas’ Attitude: he was very reluctant; Witte had to persuade him. He wanted a military dictatorship.
List the political groups in Russia after 1905.
○ Rightists
○ Progressives
○ Octobrists
○ Kadets (Constitutional Democrats)
○ Trudoviks
○ Social Democratic Party (SD) - divided between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks
○ Socialist Revolutionaries
○ Nationalist and religious groupings.
What was the new constitution made of?
○ The Lower Chamber (State Duma)
○ The Upper Chamber (State Council)
○ The Council of Ministers
○ The Tsar
Explain the role of the Lower Chamber in the new constitution.
An elected legislative body with limited powers. Deputies were elected through an unequal franchise favouring the nobility and wealthy. The Duma could propose laws and question ministers but could be dissolved by the Tsar.
Explain the role of the Upper Chamber in the new constitution.
A partially appointed and partially elected body acting as a check on the Duma. Half its members were chosen by the Tsar, and half were elected from key social groups (nobility, clergy, industry, etc.). It could veto Duma legislation.
Explain the role of the Council of Ministers in the new constitution.
Led by the Prime Minister, it acted as the executive branch, advising the Tsar and implementing policies. Ministers were appointed by the Tsar and were not accountable to the Duma.
Explain the role of the Tsar in the new constitution.
Retained supreme authority, with the power to dissolve the Duma, appoint and dismiss ministers, control foreign policy, and issue emergency decrees (Article 87). He remained the ultimate decision-maker, making the constitution more of a façade than a true limitation on his rule.
What were the Fundamental Laws?
The Tsar claimed the following rights:
○ To veto legislation.
○ To rule by decree in an emergency or when the Duma was not in session.
○ To appoint and dismiss government ministers.
○ To dissolved the Duma as he wished.
When was the fist Duma?
May to July 1906
What was the composition of the first Duma?
- The First Duma was boycotted by the Bolsheviks, SR and extreme right wing ‘Union of the Russian People’ - it was therefore overwhelmingly radical-liberal in composition.
What were the actions of the fist Duma?
- It was strongly critical of the Tsar and his ministers and this brought about the resignation of Sergei Witte.
- The Dumas passed an ‘address to the throne’ in which its key requests were:
○ Political amnesty
○ The abolition of the State Council
○ The transfer of ministerial responsibility to the Duma.
○ Universal male suffrage.
○ Abandonment of the Emergency Laws.
What was the fist Duma’s nickname?
Duma of National Hope.
When was the second Duma active?
February to June 1907.
What was the composition of the second Duma?
Stolypin’s government tried to influence the elections to the next Duma but the number of the more extreme left-wing increased because the left wing parties didn’t boycott.
What were the actions of the second Duma?
- The 2nd Duma was more oppositional.
- PM, Stolypin struggled to find any support for agrarian reform and resorted to passing legislation under the Tsar’s emergency powers while the Duma was not in session.
- The Duma refused to ratify the legislation so Stolypin spread a story of a plot to assassinate the Tsar and dissolved the Duma.
What was the nickname of the second Duma?
Duma of National Anger.
When was the third Duma in session?
November 1907 to June 1912
What was the composition of the third Duma?
This produced a more submissive Duma.
What were the actions of the third Duma?
- Agreed 2,200 of about 2,500 government proposals.
- There were disputes over naval staff, Stolypin’s proposals to extend primary education and to reform local government.
- In 1911 the Duma had to be suspended twice, while the government forced through legislation.
What was the nickname of the third Duma?
Duma of Lords and Lackies.
When was the fourth Duma running?
November 1912 to 1917
What was the fourth Duma like?
- This was a relatively docile body and Prime Minister.
- The PM, Kokovtsov proclaimed; “Thank God we still have no Parliament” - he ignored the Duma.
Who were the four PMs during the ‘era of the Duma’?
- Sergei Witte.
- Peter Stolypin.
- Ivan Goremykin.
- Vladimir Kokovtsov.
