The Growth of Opposition to Tsarist Rule Flashcards
What stimulated opposition to Tsarist Regime at this point?
Hope and disappointment brought by Alexander II’s reforms.
How did increase in education and political opportunities affect the opposition?
More socialist groups and educated minds to speak out.
Who were the Liberal Intelligentsia?
Nobles, educated minds with the time to reflect on political matters.
What did the Westerisers believe?
They wanted to catch up with the West by copying western ways.
What did the Slavophiles believe?
They favoured a superior ‘Russian’ path to a better future.
When did the Slavophiles begin to decline and why?
In the 1890s when Russia began to strive towards Industrialization.
What happened in St Petersburg in 1862?
A series of fires destroying over 2000 shops.
What year did Karl Marx first publish the Communist Manifesto?
1867
Outline the Marxist theory:
History is composed of Class Struggles, a struggle between the working class and the capitalists would herald the perfect communist society.
What year did Chernyshevsky write What is To Be Done?
1862
What was the Tchaikovsky Circle?
a literary society organising the printing and publishing of scientific and revolutionary literature.
What years was the Tchaikovsky Circle operating?
From 1872
Who were the Narodniks? (populists)
A group of 2000 Young people from the intelligentsia who traveled to the countryside aiming to persuade the peasantry that the future of Russia depended on their development.
How did the peasantry react to the Narodnkis?
with hostility - many of the visitors were reported to authorities and 1600 of them were arrested.
What was ‘Land and Liberty?’
a continuation of the populist tradition, seeking to work with the peasantry.
What year did the Land and Liberty movement begin?
1877
What happened to the Land and Liberty movement in 1879?
It split into two groups; Black Repartition & The People’s Will
What did the Black Repartition aim to achieve?
it wanted to share and partition the black soil provinces among the Russian peasants.
What did the People’s Will aim to achieve?
Aimed to intercept the secret police by spying on the Tsar.
What year did the People’s Will decide the Tsar must be removed?
1879
What year did the People’s Will assassinate Alexander II?
1881
How did Russia react to the Tsar’s assassination?
Security was increased
What did the increase of security following the Tsar’s assassination mean for the Populist movement?
It declined, but continued underground.
Who was Georgi Plekhanov?
The man responsible for finding the ‘Emancipation of Labour’ group.
What year was the ‘Emancipation of Labour’ group founded?
1883
What did the ‘Emancipation of Labour’ group do?
Translated and arranged for Marxist tracts to be smuggled into Russia.
How did Industrialization aid the opposition movements?
worker’s organisations and illegal trade unions increased including marxist discussion circles.
