The Impact of War and Revolution Flashcards
Crimean War
1853-56
When was the Treaty of Paris signed and what did it cause?
March 1856, Russia ceded valuable territory in Bessarabia
Key event of Crimean War?
Siege of Sevastopol
Crimean War Effects:
- Modernisation e.g. emancipation, industrialisation, army reforms, social reforms
What effects did the Emancipation have?
- it allowed for greater entrepreneurialism in agriculture, for example, by selling surpluses without the permission of the mir
- The military was modernised because peasants had less of an obligation to serve as conscripts in the army
- It forced changes to be made to the way localities were governed (Zemstvas)
Strengths of the Zemstva?
- Mixture of members including landowners, urban dwellers and peasants
- Fed back regional issues to central gov. challenging the policies of the Tsar
- Introduced an element of democracy to Russian government
Limitations of the Zemstva?
- Councils dominated by nobility and professional classes
- Only located in Great Russia (not in the Baltic region, Poland or the Caucasus)
- By 1917 there were still 37 provinces without one
When was the Russo-Japanese War?
1904-1905
What were the causes of the R-J War?
- Quarrels over Korea and Manchuria
- Russia’s construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway and occupation of Manchuria
- Russia reneging on agreement to withdraw troops from Manchuria in 1903
- Japanese retaliating February 1904
When was the Treaty of Portsmouth signed and what did it say?
August 1905. It made Russia withdraw from Manchuria and Port Arthur and acknowledge Japanese sovereignty over Korea.
4 Defeats during the R-J war
- Defeat at the Battle of Yalu
- Port Arthur surrendered
- Naval fleet trounced in the Tsushima Straits
- Humiliating defeat at the Battle of Mukden (March 1905)
Effects of the Russo-Japanese War
- Generated immense discontent; Plehve assassinated
- Open criticism of the tsar exec. by Nicholas II’s lifting of restrictions on the Duma
- October Manifesto to appease opponents
- Duma cushioned by the Fundamental Laws of 1906
Who was Plehve?
Minister of the Interior
When was Plehve assassinated?
July 1904
When was the Strike at Putilov works?
3rd January 1905
When was Bloody Sunday?
9th January 1905
When was the Russian Army defeated at Mukden
March 1905
When was the All-Russian Union of Peasants established?
June 1905
What did Lenin call the All-Russian Union of Peasants
“the embryo of a distinct peasant party”
When were there Mutinies in the army?
September 1905. First was the ‘Potemkin’ mutiny when sailors rebelled against the officers in June 1905.
When were there strikes by railway workers?
8th October 1905
When was the St Petersburg Soviet created?
13th October 1905
When did Nicholas II publish the October Manifesto?
17th October 1905
Main events of 1905?
- 3rd January: Strikes at Putilov works
- 9th January: Bloody Sunday
- March: Defeat of army at Mukden
- 13th October: St Petersburg Soviet established
- 17th October: Nicholas II published OM
How long did WW1 last?
1914-1918
Why did Russia get involved in WW1
- failure to resolve the Eastern Question
- Deterioration in relations with Austria-Hungary
- Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia in July 1914
How many Russian casualties for the war were there?
about 8 million
- 1.7 million dead
- 2.4 million captured
When was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed?
3 March 1918
What do pessimists think about the War’s impact on Russia?
it was not a turning point; it was only a matter of time before the Romanov dynasty came to an end. Worker opposition had began prior to the war. The Pessimist view emphasises the importance of the efforts of workers which led to the abdication of the tsar, rather than external events.
What do optimists think about WW1’s impact on Russia?
it was only the unnecessary continuation of Russia’s involvement in the war that caused the downfall of the new regime
When did Nicholas II abdicate?
2nd March 1917
What did Lenin promise a dictatorship of the proletariat would lead to?
stateless communism - a communist utopia
Who walked out of Congress on the 27th October 1917 after hearing the Bolsheviks had seized power?
The right-wing SRs and Mensheviks who thought this signalled a Bolshevik monopoly of power (Trotsky said they would be consigned to “the dustbin of history”.)
Who did the Bolsheviks come second to in elections to the CA?
the SRs (socialist revolutionaries)
What did Lenin claim to justify his shutting down the Assembly after a single day?
it was ‘elected on the old register’
What did the Third-All-Russian Congress of the Soviets do in January 1918?
proclaim the establishment of the Russian Soviet Federalist Republic, setting up a new political structure with Sovnarkom at its centre
What was Sovnarkom?
The Council of People’s Commissars
Lenin’s edicts?
- Decree on the Land
2. Decree on Peace
what was the decree on the land?
- It proclaimed the abolition of all private ownership of land “forever”, placing it under the control of the state; rural land holdings would “become the property of the whole people, and shall pass into the use of those who cultivate it.”
- ex post facto decree, as Russian peasants had been seizing and reclaiming land since before the February Revolution. But decree validated these land seizures and encouraged more of the same.
When was the Civil War
1917-22
What were the main events of the Civil War
- April 1918: Lenin defeated General Kornilov’s volunteer army and proclaimed that the war was about to end.
- December 1918-20: Reds fought Whites. Nationalism. By February 1920 signs that nationalist resistance receding.
- April 1921 Polish armed forces attack Russia and reach Kiev, by October the RP conflict ended with the Treaty of Riga
- November 1921 Red forces drive last of White troops out
Who / How did the British support in April 1918?
British marines were sent to support the Whites
When was the Treaty of Riga signed?
18 March 1921
Who were the Green armies and what was their aims?
groups of armed peasants who formed to oppose the Bolsheviks, aiming to gain more freedoms from Bolshevik leaders.
What effects did the Civil War have on Russian foreign policy?
- Lenin forced to adopt a conciliatory foreign policy
- Foreign intervention during CW shoed him he had to reassure foreign powers he didn’t represent a threat
- Russia’s defeat by an inferior army in the Polish campaign spurred him on
What effects did the Civil War have on Russian domestic policy?
- Ethos of disciplined efficiency, administration and management influenced subsequent governments (strict, militaristic way of governing)
- War Communism
- Unrest from WC led to Lenin introducing NEP
- Power became more centralised
- Tools of government: Cheka and Red Army
What did War Communism involve?
- nationalisation of large enterprises
- state monopoly of markets
- partial militarisation of labour
- the forced requisitioning of agricultural goods
What did the NEP involve?
- denationalisation of small-scale businesses
2. Giving peasants greater freedom to sell surplus products
How divided was White leadership?
No one person was in charge of the White forces. Whereas the Bolsheviks had Lenin, the Whites had several rival people, such as Yudenich, Wrangel, Kolchak, Denikin, vying for control. There was virtually no co-operation between the various White Armies - they fought independently, making it easier for the Red Army to defeat them individually.
Why was the Russian Government more centralised after the Civil War?
To quell any internal unrest the Party became more centralised; revolving around the Politburo and the Orgburo
WW2
1939-45
Main Wars and Revolutions:
- The Crimean War (1953-56)
- Russo-Japanese War (1904-5) and Revolution (1905)
- WW1 (1914-1918)
- 1917 Revolutions (October and February)
- The Civil War (1917-22)
- WW2 (1939-45)
- Cold War (1947-91)
When was the Nazi-Soviet Pact signed?
23 August 1939 (Molotov-Ribbentrop pact)
What did Nazi Germany do in June 1941?
Implement Operation Barbarossa and begin an invasion of the USSR
How many Russians died in WW2?
over 27 million, two-thirds of whom were civilians
Effects of WW2?
- 27 million deaths of Russians
- Little change to structure and ideology of Gov.
- Strengthened cult of personality as a result of Stalin’s ‘heroic’ efforts in pushing the Nazis out of Russia
- Foreign Policy changes
What impact did the war have on Soviet foreign relations?
- wartime conferences at Tehran and Yalta confirmed Russian claims to territorial frontiers established under Nazi-Soviet pact
- Stalin allowed a ‘sphere of influence’ over E.E (‘buffer’/ ‘iron curtain)
- Germany and Berlin divided into zones caused tensions which came to a head w Berlin blockade of 1948 and Berlin Wall 1961
When was the Tehran conference?
November-December 1943
When was the Yalta conference?
February 1945
When was the Cold War?
1947-1991
What were the main events of the Cold War?
- March 1947: Truman Doctrine
- June 1947: Marshall Plan
- September 1947: Cominform set up
- April 1949: NATO formed
- June 1948-May 1949: Berlin Blockade
- May 1955: The Warsaw Pact
- 1961: Berlin Wall
- 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis
What was issued in March 1947 and why?
the Truman Doctrine was issued as Truman’s response to the possibility of communist governments being established in Greece and Italy
What was issued in June 1947?
The Marshall Plan for the economic recovery of Europe, rejected by the Soviet Foreign Minister, Molotov.
What happened in September 1947?
The USSR set up Cominform, intended to counter the Marshall Plan
When was Cominform disbanded?
1956
What happened in April 1949?
NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) was formed; anti-communist.
what happened in June 1948? and until when?
the Berlin blockade which lasted from June 1948-May 1949
When was the Warsaw Pact formed? What was it?
- A peace and security treaty.
Who was the Warsaw Pact formed with?
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- The GDR (East Germany) 🇩🇪
- Poland
- Romania
- Czechoslovakia
What happened in October 1956?
The Hungarian Revolution began on the 4th October 1956 following Khrushchev’s secret speech.
What was the impact of the Cold War on Russian Government?
- Ideologically: De-Stalinisation
- Domestic: arms race, investment in heavy industry unrest e.g. Novocherkassk protests 1962
- Foreign policy: Soviets willing both to confront the West and to compromise
When did the Cuban Missile Crisis take place?
September 1962-January 1963
What were the main events of the CMC?
- October 1962: US impose naval blockade on Cuba after spy planes reveal the construction of missile sites
- 24th October 1962: Russian ships carrying missiles to Cuba turned back to Russia
- 28th October 1962: Khruschev agreed to dismantle missile sites, crisis ended as suddenly as it began
- 20th November 1962: USA ended blockade of Cuba
how did WW1 challenge NOG?
Tsar’s inadequate leadership, w incidents like the ‘shells crisis’ and the failure of the Brusilov offensive, dented morale and challenged existing political system.
When was the Russo-Turkish war?
1877-1878