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OCR A level Russian History > The Nature of Government > Flashcards

The Nature of Government Flashcards

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1
Q

What system of governance did Alexander II, III and Nicholas II use?

A

Monarchy and autocracy

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2
Q

What system of governance did Lenin and Khrushchev use?

A

dictatorship

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3
Q

What system of governance did Stalin use?

A

Totalitarian

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4
Q

What were Alexander II’s aims, ambitions and fears?

A

aims: improve communication across Russia (increased rails from 600 miles to 14,000)
ambitions: a huge program of domestic reforms
fears: revolt

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5
Q

What were Alexander III’s aims, ambitions and fears?

A

aims: to re-establish total authority of Tsarism
ambitions: russification
fears: tsar opposition and minority uprising

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6
Q

What were Nicholas II’s aims, ambitions and fears?

A

aims: maintain autocracy
ambitions: to get Manchuria and defeat Japanese (1905)
fears: losing the autocracy

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7
Q

What were Lenin’s aims, ambitions and fears?

A

aims: to establish communism in Russia
ambitions: lead USSR in the short term before handing over control to proletariat
fears: opposition groups that didn’t support the 1917 evolution

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8
Q

What were Stalin’s aims, ambitions and fears?

A

aims: consolidate power and remove opposition
ambitions: reforms such as the five year plans and wanted control of the economy, society and politics
fears: having his position taken from him

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9
Q

What were Khrushchev’s aims, ambitions and fears?

A

aims: improve agriculture by bettering working and living conditions
ambitions: de-Stalinization
fears: social unrest

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10
Q

Which secret police was used by the Tsars and for how long?

A

The Okhrana and from 1855-1917

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11
Q

Which secret police did Lenin use and for how long?

A

The Cheka and from 1917-24

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12
Q

Which secret police did Stalin use and for how long?

A

The NKVD and OGPU from 1924-53

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13
Q

Which secret police did Khrushchev use and for how long?

A

The KGB and from 1953-64

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14
Q

Political, economic and social impacts of the Okhrana?

A

P: exiling opposition
E: exiled people to Siberia to harvest its riches
S: used agent provocateurs to bait people into crime

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15
Q

Political, economic and social impacts of the Cheka?

A

P: used terror to force support for revolution
E: murdered Kulaks
S: victimised people based on them rather than their actions -> wanted collectivisation

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16
Q

Political, economic and social impacts of the NKVD?

A

P: permanent terror and trials for political opposition
S: executed many ethnic poles and minorities - accused them of opposition. Leader Genrich Yehzov was executed due to Stalin’s orders in 1938 (suspicion)

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17
Q

Political, economic and social impacts of the KGB?

A

P: decreased political arrests
S: wanted to move away from severe repression - less use of gulags. Only 11,000 counter revolutionaries

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18
Q

How successful were Government reforms under Tsars?

A

Unsuccessful - aimed to pacify discontent and secure more power
Emancipation of the serfs (1861)
Creation of Zemstvas and Dumas
Assassination of Alexander II
Duma (Nicholas II)

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19
Q

How successful were Army reforms under the Tsars?

A

Unsuccessful - Failure of Crimean war
Milyutins reforms - Conscription, education and reserve system (1862-74)
lacked transport infrastructure
Tsar forced to abdicate

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20
Q

How successful were Economic reforms under the Tsars?

A

Wittes ‘Great Spurt’ in 1893-1903
coal production doubled
iron and steel production increased seven-fold
railway tracks increased from 17,264 m in 1891 to 31,125 m in 1901
Income from industry shot up from 42 mill roubles in 1893 to 161 mill roubles in 1897
Emphasis on heavy industry rather than light industry
railway was not old shorter compared to other countries (11x less than Germany) it was also poor quality

21
Q

Who was Leon Trotsky?

A

Worked under Lenin 1818-1929
‘Military and Naval affairs’
used ex-tsarist officers
conscribed an army of peasants
killed anyone with cowardice and promoted loyalty

22
Q

Who was Kaganovich?

A

Worked under Stalin
1924 - implement collectivisation
in the 1930s, 91% of land was brought under collective control
14 mill were dying due to famine
Ukraine - 3.5 mill deaths between 1932-33 in order to break their nationalism

23
Q

Who was Lavrentiy Beria?

A

Head of NKVD under Stalin and Khrushchev
executed Yehzov and 22,000 polish prisoners of war in 1940
purge of the red army between 1940-1942
part of USSR nuclear weapon program

24
Q

Who was Molotov?

A

Minister of Foreign affairs under Stalin (1939-49) and (1953-1956)
organised Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939
negotiated with Britain and USA to join the allies in 1941

25
Q

Who was Dimitri Milyutin?

A

Minister for war - Alex II and III between 1861-1881
conscription made compulsory across country, education available and implemented a reserve system

26
Q

Who was Sergei Witte?

A

Finance minister under Alex III between 1892-1906
invested in foreign loans and focused on investments in industry
coal production doubled
railway length doubled
industrial income exploded 41 mill to 161 mill

27
Q

Who was Konstantin Pobedonostev?

A

Procurator of the holy Synod (supervised the orthodox church under Alex III
wanted Russification and Orthodox Christianity as the only religion
anti-Semitic policies - laws in 1882 banned jews from living in certain areas
his reforms lead to an alienation of the Russian church from society

28
Q

Who was Pyotr Stolypin?

A

Prime minister under Nicholas II between 1906-11
Agrarian reforms: large scale farms, agricultural coops, improvements in agrarian education and affordable loans for peasants
repressive policies following a failed assassination attempt - 3000 men hung 1906-11

29
Q

Causes of 1905 revolution:

A

1861: Emancipation of the serfs
1861: establish Zemstva
1901: repeated famine
1905: failure in Russo-Japanese war
1905: Bloody Sunday massacre

30
Q

Causes of 1917 revolution:

A

Failure in WWII
1905: legalise political groups (could challenge Tsar)
1915: Nicholas II took control of the army
Economic collapse (raw materials couldn’t reach Russia die to war)
Farmers conscripted
Living condition deteriorated
incompetent ministers

31
Q

What was the Mir?

A

1855-1864
local (elderly) land owners in each region would discuss local issues and pass them along to nobles

32
Q

What were the Zemstvas and Dumas?

A

1864-1917
changed with the E.o.T.S
1864, Alex II introduced Zemstvas (rural) and Dumas (urban) in 1870
qualifications were high to join them (proletariat)

33
Q

What was the Third element?

A

Central gov began to resent the Zemstvas and Duma as the council became dominated by educated and liberal members (doctors, teachers, lawyers)
they wanted central gov to be modelled more like Z and D’s -> be more liberal
Bolsheviks abolished Z and D’s in 1917

34
Q

What were the Soviets?

A

means council in Russia
first emerged in 1905 but in 1917 had grown its influence as a group that represented workers
Lenin took control of Russia after supporting the Oct revolution of 1917
only communist party members could partake in politics (dictatorship)

35
Q

What were the organs of state in 1855-1905?

A

The Tsar
- The personal chancellery of his imperial majesty (day to day advisers)
- Council of ministers (ministers and advisers)
- The imperial council of the state (advice on legal and political matters)
- The senate (supreme court)
- The committee of ministers (formed 1890 by Alex II, enact policies)

36
Q

What were the organs of state in 1905-17?

A

The Tsar:
- The council of ministers (main law-making administrative body)
- The state council (more senior part of the Duma)
- The Duma (people chosen from across Russia to represent all members of society)
- The Senate

37
Q

What was the gov like under the dictators? 1917-1936

A

All-Russian Congress of soviets (representatives from across Russia to discuss matters, met twice a year)
- The Central Executive committee (govern Russia whilst congress was out of session)
- Politburo (form policies), Ogburo (maintaining order in USSR) and Orgburo (organising partys affairs)
- The sovnarkom (day to day role of establishing policies)

38
Q

What was the gov like under the dictators? 1936-64

A

Supreme soviet of the USSR (power to change constitution)
- Soviet of the union (representatives across USSR = all people) and Soviet of nationalities (reps from particular regions)
- Presidium of the supreme soviet (govern whilst S.S.o.r.USSR was out of session
- Council of ministers (day to day role of establishing policies)

39
Q

Strengths of the Organs pre 1905

A
  • chosen by tsar = loyal
  • range of people to enact their job
40
Q

Weaknesses of the Organs pre 1905

A
  • no representation
  • moves slowly as everything is checked by the Tsar
  • committees can contradict each other
  • everyone chaired by the Tsar = all yes men
41
Q

Strengths of the Organs post 1905

A
  • Duma members could be elected rather than chosen = representation
  • more streamlined
42
Q

Weaknesses of the Organs post 1905

A
  • PM chaired by Tsar = would agree w whatever he wants
  • laws passed through three groups before Tsar = can take ages
  • Duma could be put in ‘recess’
  • Duma elections take place every 5 years and were confusing
43
Q

When was the Russo-Japanese war?

A

Jan 1904

44
Q

When was the first revolution?

A

1905

45
Q

When was the October manifesto?

A

Oct 1905

46
Q

When were the fundamental laws?

A

April 1906

47
Q

When was the first duma?

A

May - June 1906

48
Q

When was the fourth duma?

A

Nov 1912 - 1917

OCR A level Russian History (3 decks)

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