The 1905 revolution(s) and the Era of the Duma's Flashcards
(1906-1914)
What short term causes affected Russia after ww1?
military defeats
food shortages (autumn 1915) - by 1916 Moscow and st Petersburg was only receiving 1/3 of its grain
no railway - being used for war
inflation (x4) and real wages declining
production had fallen by 1916 (conscription)
When did Russia enter the First World War?
1914
When did the tsarist regime collapse?
Feb 1917
When did the bolsheviks seize power?
Oct 1917
What was the April theses?
a program developed by Lenin during the Russian revolution which called for soviet control of power.
What does ‘proletariat’ mean?
the working class
the social class of earners
What is democracy?
a government which the supreme power is invested into the people.
What does ‘aristocracy’ mean?
higher classes
How did the tsar rule Russia?
autocratic monarchy
Negatives of tsar’s rule
- poor working conditions
- poor living conditions
- food shortages
- failure to deal with inflation
- suppression of the duma
- failure during war (military defeats)
- leaving the tsarina and Rasputin in charge
-army left unsupplied
When does the tsar dismiss the army commander-in-chief?
August 1915 and to take control of the army himself
What types of groups opposed the tsar?
1 - Populists
2 - social revolutionaries
3 - social democrats
4 - liberals
Who was Karl Marx?
a German economist who proposed a society that was free and equal.
When did the tsar agree to recall the duma?
July 1915
When did the tsar set down the duma?
Sept 1915
Who was Rasputin?
a Russian monk, severely unpopular amongst Russian civilians.
How many ministers did Alexandra fire in 2 and a half years?
4 prime ministers
6 ministers of internal affairs
3 war ministers
3 foreign ministers
Did Russian people like tsarina? why or why not?
no - mistrust between them as she was German and also close with Rasputin who they disliked
When was Rasputin murdered?
Dec 1916
Negative words to describe the tsar
weak
indecisive
ineffective
out of touch
What were problems in Russia?
1- famine regularly
2- poor conditions
3- only 40% of Russians spoke actual Russians
4- lack of education
5- lack of democracy
6- 80% of people were peasants
When was the first duma (1906)?
may 1906 - July 1906
demanded further political reform but was denied by tsar.
When was the second duma (1907)?
feb 1907 - July 1907
dissolved when members began promoting revolutionary ideas within the army.
When was the third duma (1907)
1907 - mid 1912
more supportive and favourable of the tsar
landowners have more voting power
When was the fourth duma (1912)
Nov 1912
suspended in 1915
How many of Russian-people were non Russian?
44% of population
Who were the people’s will?
secret group who assassinated Alexander ii in 1881.
What were the military problems?
1- weakened spirit
2- limited army
3- lack of numbers
4- unprepared
5-lack of transport
What was the average life expectancy?
37.
Where were the two battles that both had early defeats?
Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes.
(over 1 mil dead)
How did the process of industrialisation affect Russia?
Growth in new classes (middle class factory owners and industrial working class)
What was the dramatic inflation statistics?
wages up by 100%
cost of living up by 300%
How many Russians died in the First World War?
1.7 million.
What was included in The October Manifesto?
1- an elected duma to be set up
2- censorship to be loosened and freedom of speech encouraged
3- the people would have more rights
What happened on the 23rd Feb 1917?
international women’s day, women in st Petersburg took the streets angry about food.
What happened on the 24th Feb 1917?
100,000-200,000 workers went on strike, many calling for the overthrow of the tsar.
When did the tsar abdicate?
15th march 1917 (mostly due to the loss of military support).
Who was the in progressive committee?
a group of moderate liberals
Who did the provisional government consist of?
middle class men
Who did the Petrograd soviet consist of?
soldiers, sailors and workers
How was the provisional government formed?
15TH MARCH 1917
by provisional committee in cooperation with the soviet
was not elected but general accepted.
How was the Petrograd soviet formed?
IN MARCH 1917
after the February revolution as a representative body for workers and soldiers.
What did the soviet declare on the 1st march 1917?
order no.1 - it means that soldiers would only be recognised as members of the soviet and any orders of the military would only follow through if the soviet agreed to it.
What was ‘dual authority’?
shared power between the provisional government and the Petrograd soviet
What type of power did the provisional government have?
formal (political)
What type of power did the Petrograd soviet have?
the majority of support
Which figure was a member of both the provisional government and the Petrograd soviet
Kerensky
When did Lenin rule?
1917-1924
When did Stalin rule?
1924-1941
Why was the provisional government vulnerable?
they lacked the majority in comparison to the soviets
What were the key issues in March 1917?
1- war
2-land
3-national minorities
4-economy
5-social reformation
Who was the Petrograd soviet made up of?
-workers and soldiers representatives
-socialist intellectuals
-Menshevik and socialist revolutionaries
ELECTED - GAINED LEGITIMACY
Who was the Provisional government made up of?
-kadets
-liberal parties
WAS NOT ELECTED, GENERALLY ACCEPTED
What powers did the Petrograd soviet have?
-controlled many significant things in Russia
-order no 1
What powers did the Provisional Government have?
-had the ability for formal authority
-could administer a policy
-could run a country with a constituent assembly
What difficulties did the order no 1 cause the provisional government?
- peasants demanded land reforms - which the provisional government was unwilling to give to them
- their failure to call consistent assembly elections (Russian people wanted democracy).
-the delay for the elections (supposed to be in November) led people to think they weren’t going to happen at all.
Why was Paul Miliukov unpopular?
due to his unpopular policy to stay in the First World War
What did Miliukov’s resignation result in?
massive street demonstrations and armed clashes between rival demonstrators.
Who was Miliiukov replaced by?
Kerensky
When did Lenin return to Russia?
April 1917
What was the ‘April Theses?’
aims of Lenin’s:
1- end to war
2- the overthrow of the provisional government and the assumption of power by the soviets, end all cooperation with any and all parties.
3- transfer power to workers
4-demand that authority passes the soviets
5-demand a true revolution
How much did membership of the bolshevik party increase by from February to October 1917?
feb - 250,000
oct - 350,000
Lenin’s slogans:
“BREAD, PEACE, LAND”
“ALL POWER TO THE SOVIETS”
What is ‘state capitalism?’
a political system in which the state has control of production and the use of capital.
How did Lenin gain support for the Bolsheviks?
Through the proletariat and peasants appeal to his theses - 80% of the nation were peasants.
What was the ‘Summer Offensive?’
(June) the coalition launched a military offensive hoping that it would end the war and gain Russia a stronger position in a European settlement
What was the result in the summer offensive?
200,000 casualties
military disaster (thousands of soldiers deserted)
Trotsky and lenin arrested
What was the ‘July Days?’
3rd-5th July: workers, sailors took the streets condemning the ‘capital ministers’ of the provisional government and demanding the soviet take power in the name of the working class. however, the bolsheviks were unprepared and Lenin was unable to capture that moment
What were the results of the July days?
3-4th July 1917
the demonstrations were suppressed, Trotsky & Kamenev were arrested and Lenin went into hiding in Finland and lenin fled to Finland.
What was the ‘Kornilov Affair’?
(26-30 August 1917)
provisional government was severely damaged by the kornilov affair, general kornilov believed that harsh measures were needed to restore order (at war and in Russia), fears grew that Kornilov planned to stage a counter-revolutionary coup against the provisional government.
How many desertions were evident in 1917?
2 million
What factors contributed to the support for the bolsheviks?
1-peasants wishes
2-the bolsheviks political skill
3-kornilov leadership & affair
4-the fact the provisional government could not deliver reforms (land)
5-lack of cohesion amongst workers
6-inability of trade unions and factory workers to deal with pace of events.
What occurred on the 25th September 1917?
-A third coalition government formed under Kerensky.
-Trotsky was elected chairman of the soviet.
What was ‘Bolshevism?’
the communist form of government adopted in Russia following the Bolshevik revolution of 1917
Why were the bolsheviks so popular?
many believed that power would be transferred to the soviets
What was occurring in Sept 1917?
strikes and land seizures as workers/peasants ran out of patience with the provisional government.
bolshevik rise in membership
April - 100,000
July- 200,000
October- 350,000
Why was there so much support for the Bolsheviks?
-they were the only party to consistently oppose the war.
-promise of food, land and an end to war.
What was the MRC?
Military Revolutionary Committee
(led by Trotsky)
What occured in October 1917?
rumours speculated that the provisional government were going to leave Petrograd and move to Moscow. The MRC took over the city’s garrison from its commander and assumed control of the capitol
How did Kerensky react to the MRC taking over control of Petrograd?
he furiously ordered the closure of two bolshevik newspapers (24th oct)
How did the MRC respond to Kerensky’s closure of two newspapers?
they took over railway stations, post offices, telegraph offices, banks and electricity stations.
What occurred on the 25th October 1917?
the palace fell to the bolsheviks.
What was the ‘communist manifesto’?
published in 1848, outlined the theory of communism.
major aim was the abolition of private property.
What was a ‘bourgeoisie’?
the middle class - supported traditional views.
What does ‘sovnarkom’ mean?
the council of peoples commissars, ran the government on a day-to-day basis.
What does ‘politburo’ mean?
it was a small committee responsible for deciding and formulating policy, became more powerful than the central committee.
What does ‘Orgburo’ mean?
it was responsible for organisational matters.
What does ‘secretariat’ mean?
the administrative body.
What was the sovnarkom’s first action?
to ban the opposition press and to pass a decree allowing it’s right to pass urgent legislation without the approval of the soviet.
How many votes did the bolshevik gain in the elections?
24%
What was a popular piece of legislation passed in October 1917 by Lenin?
Decree on Workers’ Control:
it legitimised the peasants land seizures and workers control of factories
When was the treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed and what did it mean?
3rd march 1918
ended world war 1
When was Lenin’s failed assasination?
30th august 1918
What was ‘red terror’?
used by the Cheka (dec 1917), was initially set up to reinstate law and order but was soon security police.
How did the red terror change after the civil war?
they were now used as an organ of terror, making mass executions, arrests and taking hostages
What was the membership of the Cheka?
1/4 million people.
