SYLLABUS POINT 1 Flashcards
Who is an autocrat?
A ruler who holds total and supreme power and can make decisions without the approval of any other legal body.
Which was the official faith of the Russian State?
Orthodox Christianity
Which originated in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.
It was independent of any foreign influence and acted as a vital support of the tsarist political system
How big was Russia at the end of the 19th century?
Covered almost 123 million square kilometers
How large was the population at the end of the 19th century?
130 million
What was Russia like in comparison to other great powers - Britain, France and Germany
Russia was economically underdeveloped and there was a great gulf between the rich and the poor.
How long was Tsar Nicholas II’s reign?
1894-1917
What was Tsar Nicholas II’s character like?
- Weak indecisive - struggled to make firm decisions; easily influenced by advisors
- Clung to absolute power, resisted reform.
- Deeply devoted to his wife (Alexandra) and children.
- Lacked understanding of Russia’s problems; underestimated unrest.
- Personally led troops in WWI but lacked military skill.
Which dynasty was Tsar Nicholas II from?
The Romanov dynasty, which had governed Russia since the early 17th century.
How much of the Russian population were ethnic Russians?
Only 45%
What was the rest of the Russian population comprised of?
Armenians, Germans, Georgians, Poles and Ukrainians.
What was the only unifying force between these disparate peoples?
Loyalty towards the Tsar
When did the general attitude towards their ruled change?
During the 1890s
What was Russification?
Enforcing the Russian language as well as the Orthodox Christianity and laws throughout the land.
- by doing this the tsarist regime alienated the different ethnic groups
In 1905 how much of the empire’s population followed the Orthodox faith?
Almost 70%
- but there were significant Catholic, Muslim and Jewish minorities
How many Jews were there in Russia?
5 million
What was the emancipation of the serfs?
The granting of legal freedom to the serfs - agricultural labourers who belonged to their landlords, or the state, in a condition quite similar to slavery. They were freed in 1861 by Tsar Alenader II, Nicholas’s grandfather, but many remained poor and with limited freedom.
What were pogroms?
Outbreaks of mob violence against Jews, often approved by the authorities
- they were blamed for Russia’s troubles and subjected to periodic pogroms
Who were the Tsar’s biggest supporters?
The landowning aristocracy.
What was the difference between the nobility in the Western Europe and the nobility in Russia?
Unlike in Western European countries, the nobility did not act as a check on the power of the monarchy as they owed their social position largely to military and civil service to the state.
How were the leaders of the Orthodox Church appointed by?
The Tsar
When was the Emancipations of the Serfs?
1861
- in 1861, a pivotal event in Russian history, freed over 23 million people from serfdom, granting them the rights of free citizens, including the right to own property and marry without consent
- Tsar Alexander II issued the Edict of Emancipation in 1861, which formally abolished serfdom
- this had brought few changes
What did serfs belong to?
They belonged to communes or mirs - agricultural cooperatives, which organized the distribution of land between households
What payments did peasants have to make for the land they received?
Redemption payments
What was perhaps Russia’s most serious problem?
The condition of the peasantry
