The Nature of Government Flashcards
Ideology, Local, Central, Repression
who was the last tsar and when did he abdicate
Nicholas II abdicated in 1917
When did Alexander II come to power and how much had the role of the tsar changed by then
1885
the role of the tsar changed very little in the past 100 years
When were the fundamental laws and what did they reinforce
1832, they reinforced autocracy.
“emperor of all the Russians is an autocratic and unlimited monarch: god himself ordains that all must bow to his supreme power”
what revised the fundamental laws and when
the 1906 constitution
why did russian elites feel russia needed autocracy
- russia’s huge geographic size
- russia’s vast population (over 60 million by mid 1800s)
- according to tsarist supporters, liberal democracy would be disastrous for russia as too many people would demand different policies.
what percentage of the population were peasants in 1897
82%
How did the tsar govern as a local level
-through the orthodox church
- seen as the “little father”
what replaced autocracy following the 1917 february revolution
liberal democracy
a provisional government’s rule
what was the plan for the provisional government
it would rule until the constituent elections at the end of 1917
what was the dual authority
share of power between provisional government and petrograd soviet
When did alexander Kerensky become prime minister
July 1917
What was the provisional gov’s ideology
in theory, they implemented a liberal democracy. Their ideology was ambiguous as they were such a temporary body
when did Alexander II abolish serfdom
1861
Who assassinated Alexander II and when
1881 the people’s will, a revolutionary croup
What did the Assassination of AII motivate Alexander III to do
clamp down on reform and boost autocratic control. Released the 1881 manifesto
What did the 1881 manifesto uphold
- autocracty, orthodoxy, nationalism
- it echoed the fundamental laws of 1832
what were tsars concerned that reforms and increased freedoms would do
empower opposition groups
when did Nicholas II reign begin
1894
what did russia see the emergence of in the late 1890s/ 1900s
political parties
eg SDs and SRs
why was the creation of the duma significant 1905
it was the first incorporation of a more liberal structure into the government.
what did the russo japanese war lead to
the 1905 revolution
how many dumas took place
4
when was the social revolutionary party founded
1901
when was the social democrat party founded
1891
how did tsars get their authority
it was god given and hereditaty
describe the power structure under tsars
autocratic- all government positions are answerable to the tsar
government was very hierarchical
when was the october manifesto
1905
who did the october manifesto satisfy
liberals/kadets/octobrists wanting a duma
which part of government was given a little more power under Alexander II
Local government
who were Alexander II’s advisers
The council of ministers
they were chosen by the tsar
when was the council of ministers formed
1861 - AII
when were zemstvos created
1861 as part of the emancipation edict
Who did zemstvos take power from
the nobility
what limitations did the zemstva have
- Alexander II did not allow them complete independence
- They did not control taxation
- some Noble power remained
why was there little to no change under Alexander III (give 2 reasons)
- there was no conflict or war
- political parties had not yet emerged
what were the fourth duma come to known as
the progressive bloc
why was the fourth duma able to pressure Nicholas II
they pushed for more representation in return for helping the tsar during the war
what did the progressive bloc demand by 1916
NII’s abdication - he had refused to change his method of rule
what were most of the provisional government members a part of
the old duma
was the provisional government elected
no
through soviet order number one, the petrograd soviet controlled…
the army, railways and communications
what happened to censorship in 1863-65
censorship relaxed under AII
by 1865, the number of accessible printed books was ___ that of the start of AII’s rule
double
what happened in 1866 and why was this a turning point
a failed assassination of Alexander II
Russia moved away from reform to repression
what methods of repression did AII use after 1866
- restrictions on travel increased
- secret police state
- the army developed a reserve to deal with civil disorder
what secret police group replaced the third section in 1880
Okhrana
what did Alexander II release in 1881 that formalised repression
1881 statute of state security
In what ways did AIII undo Alexander II’s reforms
- military police courts
- property confiscated
- censorship common
- newspapers closed down
- 1889 land captains limited power of zemstvo
when were land captains introduced
1889 - Alexander III
what were land captains
selected by the state from the elite, they controlled all aspects of local life
what happened to newspapers under NII
- given some freedoms
- publishing increased 90%
- the growing urban workforce beginning to read newspapers
- however the secret police could still raid and close down publishers at any point
what form of repression did the provisional government not have
secret police
what difference could be seen in the army after 1917
it was not as available as a tool of repression for kerensky/ the provisionaly government as it has been for the tsars
what did the provisional government do with the okhrana
- disbanded the okhrana
- released many prisoners held by the state
when was the army effective and ineffective for the provisional government
effective during july days
innefective during kornilov revolt and october revolution
as it was not elected, what did the provisional government rely on to justify its position
propaganda - newsreels, photographs, tours
Which group criticized Alexander II’s reforms
populists - wanted to improve conditions of the peasantry
What did the land and liberty political movement grow from
Intellectuals who went to the countryside to educate the peasantry
what methods did the group People’s will use
Violence, assassination, intimidation and upheaval
why were peasants unhappy with the emancipation edict of 1861
- they had to pay redemption payments
- they were given poor fertile areas
- they were generally worse off
Which group had many of it’s members executed under Alexander III?
The people’s will
What happened in 1891
The Great famine killed 350-400 thousand
what did the great famine lead to
a reawakening of political groups in russia in the 1890s
as many were angry with how the state handled the famine
what did peasants do after the 1905 revolution
the peasantry revolted from 1906-1907
during peasant revolts of 1906-1907 how did the state appease peasants
reforms such as stolypin’s land reforms
peasants were going hungry during WW1, what did they do
peasant revolt from 1915-1917
what was the provisional government criticised for and how did lenin use this
- continuing WW1
- lenin used slogans such as “peace, bread and land”
What were the 1917 july days and what was the outcome
1917 lenin returned to russia
workers and soldiers staged armed demonstrations against the PG.
The bolsheviks held responsible and were arrested, exiled etc.
during which revolt did the provisional government release many of their bolshevik opponents
the kornilov revolt
Sum up Alexander II’s reign/ ideology in 3 parts.
- relaxed , half- hearted reforms.
- Radicals unimpressed as he upheld autocracty
- was about to sign an agreement before his death that would probably have resulted in a more democratic gov.
Sum up Alexander III’s reign/ ideology
- military man + strongly autocratic
- period seen as reaction + repression as opposed to relaxed/ liberal period under AII
- intent to reduce social unrest and opposition to tsarism. “peoples will” etc. ruthlessly surpressed.
- relatively peaceful reign with economic reforms .
Sum up Nicholas II’s reign/ ideology in 4 parts.
- attempted political reforms to appease opposition
- mishandling of WW1 led to downfall
- lacked political knowledge and skill of father
- fundamental laws of 1906 reinforced autocracy
similar vein to alexander II.
what did all tsars consistently promote and justify
autocracy
what did russian communists beleive
- serfdom and capitalism should be replaced with egalitarian society
- lenin wanted to speed up revolution and eventually give control to the proletariat
- controlled economy, aimed for classless society
how did lenin govern similarly to the tsars
adjusted policies to reduce opposition, but didnt steer from goal of dictatorship
describe lenins rule and ideology
- established communist rule in russia via october revolution
- party central committee to govern interest of workers
- bolshevik opposition led to civil war
- switched from war communism, associated with famine, to NEP, removing goods production restrictions
- Trotsky wanted to spread communism through the world , criticised by stalin
what did trotsky and stalin disagree on about communism
trotsky wanted world revolution
describe stalins rule and ideology
-totalitarianism - controlled the behaviour of citizens
- extreme repression , industrialisation
- defeat germany
- command economy
- 5 year plans
- cult of personality
describe khruschev rule and ideology
- beleived in communist ideal
- promised economic strength + social reforms to raise living standards
- struggled w financially crippling cold war
- rivals saw liberal attitude
- destalinisation
how did central administration change under tsars
remained largely the same 1855-1905, with the addition of the committee of ministers in 1861 and removal of council of minsiters in 1882
economic/social change - rise in groups wanting reform.
How did central administration change under Alexander II
1861- committee of ministers established to replace personal chancellery of his imperial majesty
they seldom met, had very specific administrative roles.
problem: eg. minister of finance wants to tighten budget, while others spent large amounts on reforms
How did central administration change under Alexander III
1882- abandoned council of ministers, who drafted legislations.
How did central administration change under Nicholas II
1904-5 - russo japanese war created pressure for change
October manifesto, blueprint for new form of elective gov revolving around duma
How did central administration change under Provisional Government
- end of autocracy
- short term gov based on consensus
- shared power w petrograd soviet
- had constituent assembly, rejected by bolsheviks
the tsar was not held accountable by people through elections or constitutional government
what is constitutional government?
Rather, what system gave the tsar his authority?
a government that is organised and administered according to a set of written or unwritten rules.
A system based on religious faith
what was the tsars “paternalistic” duty
protecting the people
which institution supported the tsars role
orthodox church
at the time of tsarism, the vast majority .. around 80% of the population were…
illiterate peasants
how was the proportion of illiterate peasants in russia used to justify autocracy
democracy would result in governance by those who “lacked the ability to reason”
Who was the tutor of Alexander II’s son, Alexander III
Pobedonostsev
Po bed onost sev
why were the introduction of the zemstva significant
they were a local elected government
When did zemstva end
1917 to be replaced by chain of Soviets as local gov
How did Khrushchev deal with the anti party group (molotov , kaganovich, malenkov)
Pointed out only the party central committ e could change the party organisation structure
What main points did Khrushchev’s secret speech include against Stalin
4 main things
- Never accepted by Lenin as successor
- Created a state unprepared for military conflict 1941
- committed a range of unforgivable crimes against the people
- misdemeanors against “outsiders” who should have been welcomed eg. Assassination of Hungarian revolutionary leader Béla Kun
What were Beria and Malenkov suspected of doing which led to Khrushchev taking Malenkovs position
Working together to form a duopoly
When was the “secret speech”
1956
