Social developments Flashcards
What were the living situations in large cities like for the lower classes?
1- Rapid growth of industry created a huge demand for labour, which was filled by peasant workers
2- Many lived in overcrowded conditions with poor sanitation
3- Rent often cost 1/2 a worker’s wage, which did not keep up with inflation
4- 40% of the population of St. Petersburg had no running water or sewage
How were the lives of the lower classes improved by 1914?
1- 1885–1912: attempts were made to improve living conditions (by introducing legislation to reduce working hours, ban child employment and provide sick leave)
2- 1914: the literacy rate of the working classes was greater than that of the rest of the country
3- The majority of the working class had jobs in workshops, which were not affected
by factory legislation to improve conditions
What were industrial working conditions like?
1- Long hours and low wages
2- Employers ignored regulations
3- 1885: a ban on night work for women and children was introduced
4- 1897: the working day was limited to 11 ½ hours
How did the rural population change over time?
1- 1860s–1916: the rural population dropped from 90% to 79% of the total Russian population
2- A split grew between the older and the younger peasants, who were willing to accept change and break away from tradition
3- 1914: 3/4 of the St. Petersburg population were peasants by birth, who returned to the countryside at harvest-time
How did infant mortality rates change?
Between 1860 and 1913, the rates remained the same, unlike with every other sizable Western state
How did trade unions help workers?
1- The government’s failure to address worker’s demands was a major cause of the
1905 Revolution
2- 1905: trade unions were legalised
3- 1912: Limited insurance coving a minority of workers introduced
4- The average pay was 1/3 of Westerners
5- 1910–14: housing dramatically deteriorated
How did peasant life change by 1914?
1- Money economy had begun penetrating the countryside
2- Increase in primary schools created a class of literature young men and women
who became more aware of their position in society
3- Landholding patterns and the strength of the Mir remained unchanged in the central agricultural regions
How did noble life change by 1914?
1- The nobility put pressure on the Tsar to keep the regime intact through the AllRussia Union of Landowners
2- Generally in decline, but some adapted to cities
3- In 1897, 1,000 of the 1,400 highest ranking civil servants were nobles
How did middle class life change by 1914?
1- A new class of industrialists and businessmen emerged
2- Professionals created associations
Joined the Dumas in all parties
3- Often played a major role in the zemstvo and opposed the regime-
How socially divided was Russia by 1914?
1- By 1914 only 10% households were khutors or obtrubs (a form of rich peasants)
2- Divisions between older and younger peasants grew
Who was Stolypin?
1- 1906–11: Prime–Minister
2- Believed that peasant prosperity would lead to political stability
3- Dealt with disturbances with exile (‘carriage’) and hanging (‘necktie)
