The Collapse of the Tsarist Regime 1917 Flashcards
Russia in 1917
Less developed/old-fashioned economy.
Only 2% of the population worked in industry.
80% worked in agriculture.
80% illiteracy
Army generals disliked machine guns; preferred bayonetting
Overcrowding doubled (1880-1914)
Opposition groups emerging.
Autocracy.
Tsar made all the rules.
Okhrana was efficient at repression.
The Tsar
Tsar Nicholas II came to the throne in 1894 after the sudden death of his father by a bomb in 1881. He had very little preparation for ruling.
A devoted family man; weak and easily influenced.
Did not want to be the Tsar. Not capable of acting sensibly. Detached from struggles of society. Married a German woman.
Rasputin
Russian monk who helped Nicholas’s son Alexei from 1906.
Began to gain influence over the family, particularly Tsarina Alexandra. Led to rumours spreading that they were lovers.
Unpopular– led to the tsar also being unpopular.
Tsarina Alexandra
German. Unpopular because she was seen as a German spy.
rumoured to be having an affair with rasputin.
misled the tsar by distorting the events occuring in petrograd and encouraging him to ignore Rodzianko’s warnings.
Shortsighted.
During WW1, suspected of being a German spy.
Threats to Russia in the beginning of the 20th century.
Illiteracy — 80% of Russia was illiterate. They were far more backwards than other European countries and this lack of education may have been detrimental in times of war or industrial development for the country.
Autocracy — the Tsar ruled with absolute power. He was able to make laws, policies and rules all on his own. He used repressive methods through the Cossacks and the Okhrana to control the population which led to opposition groups such as the SR’s (peasants/countryside popular) and the SD’s (city support) emerging. The people of the country did not have a say and Nicholas was not a keen ruler.
Overcrowding in the big cities — the population nearly doubled from 1880 - 1914. This led to overcrowding, shortage of food and unrest within Russia. Opposition groups took advantage of this situation.
Nicholas II’s character — unprepared, unmotivated, easily influenced, unwilling to share power and just waiting to pass the throne to Alexei. Seen as weak and easily controlled due to the rumours of his wife having an affair with Rasputin, a Russian monk who helped his haemophiliac son.
Social Democrats — had popularity in the cities. Took advantage of the rising unrest within the country. Often acted violently due to the Okhrana and the Cossacks using brutal force.
Alexandra — unpopular because she was German and suspected to be having an affair with Rasputin. Did not help the Tsar. During WW1 she was accused of being a German spy and
Rasputin — a Russian monk who helped the Tsar’s son, Alexei, who had a blood disease (haemophilia). Suspected to be having an affair with Alexandra. Was disliked by the population and later assassinated in 1914.
Differences in wealth — extremes of wealth and poverty, far greater than in any other European country. These were made larger by the increases in population of the two main cities, st. Petersburg and Moscow. The population nearly doubled between 1880 and 1914.
1905 Revolution
Russo-Japanese War: In 1904, Russia had gone to war with Japan. Most Russians had expected an easy victory. The army and navy instead had experienced heavy defeats and lost thousands of lives. A major shock, led to a demand for changes to be made in Russia’s government
Bloody Sunday: Russian troops opened fire on a mass of unarmed people in St. petersburg. hundreds were killed including women and children. around 125,000 strikers.
There had been more protests and marches and strikes throughout the year
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Opposition groups: St. Petersburg, the capital, workers took control and formed the St. Petersburg Soviet (council) under the leadership of Leon Trotsky. Similar soviets were set up in other cities and the Tsar’s government rapidly lost control
Peasants: Law and order broke down as peasants began to riot and attack the houses and estates of landowners. Until the 19th century, most peasants had been serfs and controlled by landowners. They had been set free in 1861, but had only been given very small plots of land. Peasants still had to pay fees to their former masters. The peasants wanted more land and the only way to get it was by taking it from the estates of landowners.
The October Manifesto (1905)
Influenced by Witte.
More autocracy; freedom of speech, councils allowed
The Dumas to be instated.
Satisfied Liberals and Kadets (rich peasants). Seemed to calm the population for a time.
The Fundamental Laws (1906)
the right to rule independently of the Duma when it was not in session.
the right to dissolve (close) the Duma at any point.
power to change the electoral system.
power to appoint ministers he wanted to the Council.
sole commander of the army and navy, giving him military power to crush any uprising
The First Duma (May 1906)
May 1906 after the announcement of the Fundamental laws.
Consisted mainly of Kadets and SRs. Hence, demanded further political reform such as land distribution and the release of political prisoners.
More radical.
Denied by the Tsar.
Lasted for just over 2 months before being dissolved.
The Second Duma (Feb 1907)
Kadets were involved in writing the Vyborg Appeal. This criticised the government and demanded the non-payment of taxes.
In response, these Kadets were made inelegible to vote. This greatly reduced the power of the Kadets.
Liberal Octoberists (those who agreed with the October Manifesto) had more influence as did SRs, Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.
The second Duma lasted for five months.
It was dissolved when members began promoting revolutionary organisations within the army.
The Third Duma (1907)
Established in 1907, this Duma was intended to be much more supportive of the Tsar.
Arrangements had been made for landowners to have more voting power.
The resulting Duma was less radical and more favourable to the government.
Prime Minister, Pyotr Stolypin was able to pass considerable land reform. It lasted until mid-1912.
The Fourth Duma (Nov 1912)
Comprised of mainly Octoberists on one side and socialists on the other, This made decision-making increasingly difficult.
Both groups found it impossible to unite in order to make progress.
The Duma was suspended in 1915, by which time Russia was committed to fighting the Austrians and Germans in World War One.
Stolypin’s reforms: aims
Wanted to reform agriculture in order to modernise russia and make it more competitive against other European powers.
hoped that reorganising land would increase support for the Tsar among unskilled farmhands.
aimed to reduce the threat of Social Revolutionaries (Countryside)
Believed the key to success was to increase the num. of peasant landowners, resulting in a more invested peasantry.
Stolypin’s reforms: what changed?
Redemption payments we (loans from the state) were abolished. Loans for peasants to buy lands became available; Peasants’ Land Banks
Mirs (communities of peasant farmers) could no longer stop people from leaving to buy private land.
Mirs that did not cooperate were to be dissolved
Peasants were also given financial incentives to move to remote areas of Siberia in an attempt to open up the countryside.
Stolypin’s reforms: results
agricultural output increased by a third.
peasant land ownership increased by 30%
Number of kadets increased dramatically; increasingly supportive of the Tsar
