The economic context Flashcards
What countries were more industrially advanced than Russia? (4)
- Britain
- Belgium
- France
- ‘Germany’
What was Russia’s village to town dweller ratio?
11:1
What was Britain’s village to town dweller ratio?
1:1
How big was Russia’s territory?
6000 miles east to west; 2000 miles north to south
How much of Russia lay north of the 50th parallel North?
> 2/3
What was Russia the main exporter of?
agricultural produce
Which mountains split Russia into east and west?
Ural mountains
What did Russia have large reserves of? (5)
- timber
- coal
- oil
- gold
- precious metals
Why was Russia’s communication poor?
It crossed through multiple time zones
Who were reliant on serfs? (3)
- landowning aristocracy
- the tsarist government
- the army
Why did serfdom inhibit economic development? (3)
It limited:
- wage-earners
- markets
- entrepreneurs
Why was serfdom a problem? (4)
- little opportunity or incentive to develop into wage-earners
- self-sufficiency meant that few goods were purchased in markets
- Money was not the usual payment for serfs, they exchanged instead
- There was no internal market demand
What were mirs?
a traditional serf village community
How did mirs affect serfs?
Individual families had to work scattered strips
What percentage of the population were serfs?
85%
