The last years of peace

Question 1

From 1906 to 1914 Russia’s workers were increasingly…

Answer 1

unionised. Strikes occured sporadically from 1906 to 1911, and increased singificantly in the last years of peace, with major waves of strikes in 1912 and early 1914.

Question 2

Where were the Lena Goldfields mines located?

Who was it controlled by?

Answer 2

• In Siberia

- Controlled by the Lenzoloto Mining Company.

Question 3

What were the causes of strikes?

Answer 3

• Workers had a series of long-term grievances which contrbuted to the strike
• While the Lenzoloto Mining Company provided their workers with some benefits, housing and food were often of extremely low quality
• In addition, the working day was either eleven or eleven and a half hours, depending on the season
• Serving rotten horsemeat in the canteen was the tirgger for the strike

Question 4

What demands did striking workers quickly draw up?

How did the Lenzoloto Company react to these demands?

Answer 4

1 - an 8-hour day
2 - sick pay
3 - 30% wage increase
4 - paid overtime
5 - better quality food
6 - respect from company officials
- They refused to meet the workers' demands

Question 5

How did the Lena Goldfields massacre happen?

When was it?

Answer 5

April 1912:

• The leaders of the miners were politically moderate, refused to use violence and repeatedly stated that they were willing to reach a compromise
• However, the mine’s management asked the police and the army to break up the strike
• Initially, the police arrested the strike’s leaders
• The miners responded with a protest march
• The army reacted by opening fire on the unarmed miners

Question 6

How many people were killed in the Lena Goldfields massacre?

Answer 6

172.

Question 7

What was the aftermath of the Lena Goldfields massacre?

Answer 7

• Caused outrage
• The Russian press condemned the massacre, as did politicians including Octoberists and Kadets
• The strike didn’t lead to a significant improvement of conditions in the Lena Goldfields
• Unable to recruit enough Russian labour, the Lenzoloto Company employed workers from China and Korea

Question 8

Why was the Lena Goldfield massacre a turning point for the Russian union movement?

Answer 8

From 1912 to 1914 the union movement was more assertive and strikes increased.

Question 9

How many workers were there on on strike in 1912?

Answer 9

750,000.

Question 10

How many workers were there on on strike in 1912?

Answer 10

887,000.

Question 11

How many workers were there on on strike from January to July 1914?

Answer 11

1,450,000.

Question 12

Who were some of the most radical workers from 1912-14?

Answer 12

Female tobacco and textile workers.

Question 13

By 1914 the exact nature of the Tsarist government was…

Answer 13

controversial.

Question 14

Octoberists such as Guchkov claimed that the Tsar was part of…

Answer 14

a constitutional government.

Question 15

Socialists argued that Russia was still…

Answer 15

an autocracy.

Question 16

What evidence is there that autocracy was largely restored after 1905?

Answer 16

• The powers of the new Duma were minimal

- Stolypin’s state of emergency allowed the Tsar to ignore individual rights

Question 17

What indications were there that Russia was democratising after 1905?

Answer 17

1 - The later Dumas were able to scrutinise the Tsar’s government
2 - By 1914 Russia had a largely free press, which published criticisms of the Tsar
3 - The emergence of independent trade unions and political parties led to the development of civil society

Question 18

What forms did scrutiny take in the later Dumas?

Answer 18

Scrutiny took the forms of:

• Members of the Duma had the right to question ministers and expose problems with the Tsar’s government
• Duma committees monitored key areas of government policy. E.g., the Third Duma set up as a military committee in 1907. The committee chaired by Guchkov, examined military spending, leading to changes in policy in 1911

Question 19

The Duma’s power of scrutiny and the emergence of the free press meant that…

Answer 19

the Tsar no longer had total freedom of action.